Homemade Orange Spiced Granola

I made homemade granola for the first time the other day, and now I will never eat store-bought granola again! I came across the recipe for the granola in a cookbook that was given to me by one of my dear friends, Sandy. She had given me the cookbook because she knows how much I love to cook, and it inspired me to try to eat healthier (especially because I went through the cookbook on New Year's Day). Thank you, Sandy! I have made some pretty tasty recipes from the cookbook, including the granola. Greg and I ate granola for breakfast almost every day for a week, and then I made another batch a couple days ago. It taste great plain, on top of Greek yogurt, with milk and honey (or just with milk), and I'm sure it tastes great with many other things! I especially love the flavor of the orange zest in this granola. The recipe is super easy & it goes a very long way. Now I have no excuses to not eat breakfast before going into work (and neither do you)! Enjoy.

Greek Yogurt topped with Granola Goodness

Recipe for Granola Goodness
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 Tbsp. of expeller-pressed canola oil*
1/4 cup of honey
2 Tbsp. of pure maple syrup
1/8 tsp. of salt
 1/2 tsp. of ground cloves
1/4 tsp. of ground coriander
1 1/2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup of raw cashews
1/4 cup of brown flax seeds
1/2 tsp. of freshly grated orange zest
1/2 cup of raisins

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 305 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the canola oil, honey, maple syrup, salt, cloves, and coriander. Add the rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and flax seeds to the bowl and mix well.
Spread the mixture in a thin layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, then stir the granola and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for several minutes. Stir in the orange zest and raisins.
Store the granola in an airtight container on the counter or in a pantry. Eat within a week.

Recipe makes about 12 - 13 servings (with a serving being 1/4 cup).

Recipe Adapted from: True Food - Seasonal, Sustainable, Pure

*Expeller-pressed canola oil is mechanically pressed from the canola seed, rather than extracted from the seed with high heat and chemical solvents. So in a nutshell, it's healthier than traditional canola oil (at least that's what they say). It can be found at stores such as Whole Foods.