'The Usual' Breakfast Granola

A busy morning on the homestead calls for a good breakfast. Homemade granola, with greek yoghurt and some fresh fruit is our absolute favourite.

We make a batch up every couple of weeks so we always have a supply in our kitchen. It's easy to make, uses natural ingredients and is not as high in sugar as many store bought granola packets. As time goes on, and as our fruit and nut trees mature, we hope to incorporate more and more homegrown ingredients into our granola. Eventually we should be able to make this recipe using only ingredients from our homestead!

Oats are high in fibre, a good source of protein and keep us full for longer - a staple in our kitchen. We have included the recipe we use below for you to try:

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups oats

• 1 cup chopped nuts (we love hazelnuts & almonds)

• 1/2 cup seeds of your choice (we normally use pumpkin seeds)

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• a few drops of vanilla essence

• pinch of sea salt

• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil (it also works with other oils, but we like to use the oil from our farm)

• 1/2 cup of honey

• 1 cup of dried fruit of your choice - to be added after baking

• Optional extras: chocolate chips, coconut flakes... really anything that takes your fancy! :)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pre heat the oven to 170 C ( 350F)

2. Mix together the dry ingredients first in a large mixing bowl. Then add in the olive oil and honey, and mix well.

3. Transfer the oat mixture on to a large baking tray before placing in the oven

4. A

   llow to bake for around 15 minutes, checking regularly that the granola isn't burning around the edges. Mix it half way.

5. When golden brown, remove from the oven, use the back of your spatula to press the oats down. This helps create chuncky pieces of granola. Allow to cool.

6. Add in your dry fruit and transfer to a sealed tub for storage. This normally keeps well for us in the cupboard!