Holy Oats!

What am I talking about? With the "new Katie" on board I have been itching to try some new things. Let me rephrase, new healthy things, to make in the kitchen. It's hard to find a good recipe that will still taste delicious when you make substitutions. In this case I have altered an amazing granola recipe. This bad boy is awesome in yogurt, trail mix, or perfect on it's own. I say that, because I catch Hubby Dearest sneaking some all the time. Who said healthy food can't be good?

You will need:
2.5 cups old fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (I use light salt)
3 tbs light vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey (sugar free is perfect)
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (splenda brown sugar works beautifully)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecan (or almonds)
Optional add your favorite dried fruit at the end

Preheat oven to 325 and line jelly roll pan with parchment paper. In one bowl mix your oats, cinnamon, and salt then move to the side. In a second bowl mix oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Mix as best as you can until it's fairly consistent. Drizzle mixture over oats. I use my hands to "smush" together. To me smush means covering all the dried oats with mixture and also making big pieces so you can have fat granola later. Add pecans.

Pour into lined pan and spread out... it does not have to be even. Bake in oven for five minutes then remove. Turn the granola over and place back in oven for another 5 minutes. Repeat this three times (total of four times). Once done, place out for 15 minutes to cool. Then add your dried fruit and break up granola to place in an airtight container. Sooooo good and lasts a week... if you don't eat it all first!

Until next time!