card-carrying hippy

(photos to come!!)

So today was the Day I Had Off For No Good Reason, so...

I made homemade granola bars.

Turns out for that nearly $4 box of Kashi, you can pretty much do it yourself.

1 cup of peanuts (I used almonds, because I forgot peanuts at the grocery and had almonds laying around)

2 cups Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Steel Cut Oats... mainly because they are more thickly cut than the nearly-pulvarized Quaker kind)

3/4 cup Sunflower Seed Kernels (not salted)

2 TB Flax Seed (for fiber boost and nutty yumminess)

3/4 cup Wheat Germ

1/2 cup of honey

2/3 cup of brown sugar

2 TB vanilla

1/2 TB salt

4 TB Butter or Margarine

A few spoonfuls of peanut butter (I just threw this in to see what would happen)

4-8 oz of dried fruit (totally based on your preferences for how fruity you like your bars)

Preheat oven to 400.

-Roughly chop the almonds or crush the peanuts in a bag, with a mallet.

-Mix all grain/nut ingredients in a bowl and spread them on a cookie sheet with sides. Toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, mixing them up every 5 minutes to ensure nothing gets burnt.

Meanwhile, prepare a 11x13 (or similar) glass dish by lining it with wax or parchment paper. Lightly spray the paper with cooking spray.

Mix all wet ingredients (except the fruit) in a saucepan on medium low heat. Melt all ingredients to a carmel-colored smooth, well-blended consistency. Stir constantly to avoid burning. This is the "glue" for our bars.

When the grains and nuts are toasted, put them in a large bowl. Add the wet mixture, and blend well. Add desired fruit.

Once everything is totally coated and mixed, empty the granola into your prepared 11x13 dish. Smooth out with a rubber spatula or something that resists sticking (my wooden spoon didn't work so well.) Take care to not leave any holes-- this what you'll be cutting your final bars from. Once you're done perfecting it, fold the sides of the wax paper over the top. If necessary, add another strip of wax paper on the top for full coverage. With hot pads (it'll be hot still), press firmly down for several minutes. This will help 'gel' the mixture into a substance that will hold up to cutting.

Wait until the granola has totally cooled (2-3 hours or so) and take of the wax paper. Carefully flip (or lift) it onto a large cutting board. Cut into desired slices! Enjoy! (or wrap in plastic for later...)