No-Store Granola

Sometimes you just want to make something without having to stop at Safeway, Trader Joe's and some random hippie market all the way across the city to pick up nettles for a recipe you found on some food blog. And that is just how I felt the day after we arrived in San Francisco after a 3 month long hiatus. I just wanted to make granola; simple, hassle free but delicious granola. 

So I opened up the cupboards and went with this warm and tasty recipe which you can adapt to the ingredients you have in your kitchen so you don't have to leave... your kitchen. Unless of course you feel like living on the wild and adventurous nettle side of life at the moment. Then by all means :)

No-Store Granola

Ingredients

• 4 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds (may substitute other nuts)
• 1 cup whole raw almonds (may substitute other nuts)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional, I just happened to have it on hand)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (also optional, you can make it 1 full tsp of cinnamon if you don't have cardamom)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (plus) golden raisins (or any dried fruit you like)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325. Move the rack to the upper third of the oven.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together your oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan melt together your butter, oil, honey and brown sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture just starts to boil, whisking as you go to incorporate the sugar well.
4. Take the mixture off the heat and add the vanilla extract. Pour the warm liquid mixture all over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly coated.
5. Spread the mixture onto two lined baking sheets (I used silpats, you can use parchment if you want) and season the top with a little bit of salt as you would a piece of meat or vegetables you are roasting. Bake 25-35 minutes, stirring the granola at each 10 min interval to ensure even browning. Remove from the oven when your granola is dark enough for your liking, cool and mix in a cup plus of your preferred dried fruit.
6. Once cooled, store your granola in a tupperware. Enjoy with yogurt, milk or just by itself and revel in the fact that you didn't even have to leave your house to make something this delicious.