Yummy Fall Granola

Generally, I prefer to eat nuts and seeds raw to ensure that I get the optimal benefit from the anti-oxidant rich essential fatty acids found in nuts and seeds, but with the cooler weather I decided to make a baked nut and seed granola. With all the nuts and seeds in the granola, it is very protein rich and it makes a great fortifying snack (or breakfast).

Here is the recipe for Yummy Fall Granola (see picture to the left):

3 cups oats (I used a combination of whole rolled oats and steel cut oats), 1 cup almonds, chopped, 1 cup cashews, chopped, 1 cup walnuts, chopped, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup sesame seeds, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/2 - 2/3 cups pure maple syrup, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Place granola, evenly spread out, on 2 large, lightly canola oiled baking sheets. Bake for 24 minutes, stirring granola every 8 minutes to ensure that it doesn't burn. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and store in fridge (it will keep in the fridge for approximately 2 weeks)

I have the granola with rice milk and it tastes delicious!