Fruit-Sweetened Granola

What better way to start the morning than a big bowl of granola, fresh fruit, and raw nut and seed milk. My kids often jump out of bed hungry—so I love having this ready-to-go breakfast awaiting us.

You just can’t beat the taste of freshly baked granola packed with fiber-rich, complex-carb loaded whole-grain oats, nuts, seeds, and fruit. And best of all, this granola doesn’t amp us up on sugar—it’s gently sweetened with an apple and dried fruit!

Think of this recipe as your basic template—you can have fun with the mix-ins and make your own special batch!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• ½ cup raisins
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds (or other seeds)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup dates (pitted)
• 1 apple (chopped)
• ½ cup almonds (or other nuts)
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Mix the first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Place the remaining wet ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl and mix thoroughly.
5. Lightly oil a large cookie sheet.
6. Spread ½ inch thin on the cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, stir, then bake an additional 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe Tips/Variations

Add in chocolate chips after the granola has cooled (otherwise they will melt). Toss in coconut shreds or flakes. Mix in hemp seeds or chopped walnuts after the granola has baked. Add a few tablespoons of blackstrap molasses to the wet ingredients in the blender. The sky's the limit!

Yields: about 6 cups