Make: Granola

Granola is one of my favorite foods. Any granola-lover knows there's a big problem in the industry: store-bought granola is expensive and loaded with unnecessary sugar. I recently discovered that homemade granola is easy to make and budget-friendly, too. The basic ingredients are: oats, honey, and oil. The recipe below is flexible and forgiving, no need to be exact in your measurements. Personalize your granola by adding nuts (protein!) and dried fruit. Raw nuts go into the oven with the oat mixture so they can roast; dried fruit is added after the granola has cooled.

Give it a try! It's simple, healthy, inexpensive, and delicious.

1. Preheat oven to 300 F.

2. In a bowl, whisk together:
2 T honey (adjust as you desire)
2 T oil (coconut, olive, or any vegetable oil)
1/4 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger (optional, still tastes great without)
1 t. vanilla
2 T water

3. Add and toss to coat:
2 c. oats (not instant)
1/2 c. chopped raw nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.)

4. Spread on a baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes, stirring once. Cool completely before adding any dried fruit. Enjoy!

Extra Notes, for those who like details:

• I used crystallized honey stuck inside my honey bear; I softened it in the microwave in a glass mixing bowl.

• I love the slight coconut flavor of Quaker Granola, so I used coconut oil. Lately I've been snacking on handfuls of Trader Joe's Unsweetened Flake Coconut, so I added some to my batch after it had cooled.

• Nuts are expensive. The cheapest place I've found them is Sprouts Farmers Market: raw, from the bulk bin, and on sale (they go on sale regularly); the second best place is Costco.