Toasted Granola...and it's oil free!

Thanks to mom, I have this awesome recipe book called "La Dolce Vegan" that features all vegan recipes from breakfast to snacks to main courses.  The recipes turn out pretty good and many don't require too many "weird" or hard-to-find ingredients either, which is a major bonus for me!  The only thing missing from this recipe book that I normally look for are pictures.  (Well, there are plenty of pictures of the author, Sarah Kramer, doing funny things; but I'm talking pictures of what the recipe should look like!)

Anyway, on Monday I decided to try making her "Toasted Oil-free Granola" for the first time and it actually turned out great (meaning that Rob has been eating it too!) Here's how it goes:

2 cups of rolled oat flakes
2 cups of quick oats
1/2 cup of walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup of sesame seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of dried fruit (optional- your choice)


With the oven preheating to 250, you need to combine the dry stuff first and then add the water, syrup and vanilla.  

You spread the whole mixture on baking sheets and put them in the oven for about an hour.

I forgot the walnuts when out buying the ingredients at Kardish, but instead added sliced almonds and chopped pecans.  I also doubled the cinnamon amount because I knew my husband would like that, and I may have also exceeded the 1/4 cup of maple syrup a little because it's just so delicious...but besides that, I followed everything else to a "T"!!!

I took the baking sheets out of the oven every 17 minutes or so to stir it up with a fork and ended up stopping the cooking process after 45 minutes - that seemed to be enough for my liking.  I stored the mixture in an old Tupperware container and noticed when I woke up this morning that I am down to only about 2 cups left!

I did not add any dried fruit, but always top it with fresh blueberries (my fave), whether its in my almond milk or with yogurt...a delicious breakfast or late night snack.  ENJOY!