Crunchy Granola

Crunchy granola- why has it gotten such a bad rap?  I love my granola crunchy, packed full of nuts, with just a touch of sweetness.  Udi's granola is my favorite gluten/sugar/dairy free brand, but I love making my own granola because you can put whatever you want in it.  This time I just threw in all the extra ingredients I had in my pantry- leftover coconut flakes, sunflower seeds I was never going to use, and I ground up some raw almonds to make my own almond flour.  You can also purchase almond flour at the store.  If you are gluten intolerant- make sure you buy gluten free oats- Bob's Red Mill has them.  Please feel free to throw in dried fruit or other delicious ingredients you love!

Ingredients

• 3 cups of gluten free oats
• 3/4 cup of almond flour
• 1 cup of sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup of cashews, or macadamia nuts or walnuts.....
• 1 cup of sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup of coconut flakes or shreds 
• 1/4 cup of ground flax seed
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tsp of nutmeg
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 tablespoons of oil (canola, grapeseed...)
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey or agave (diluted with a tablespoon of hot water)
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread a layer of oats onto two baking pans and bake for about 8-10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the oil, maple syrup, water and vanilla.
4. Once oats are slightly toasted, remove from the oven, and pour them into a large bowl.
5. Mix in all the dry ingredients, then add the bowl of wet ingredients.
6. Mix well and place a thin layer of the granola onto the two baking pans.  
7. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes depending on how toasted you like it.  Remember that the granola will continue to bake and get harder after it's out of the oven, so always err on the under-baked side.  
8. Enjoy with some rice milk or or soy yogurt!