Oats n Raisins Granola

OATS.

It isn't so bad.

Not when served with a giant slab of butter, a good glug of rich maple syrup, and generous sprinkling of brown sugar.

Or when topped with browned butter and caramelized bananas.

With cinnamon-baked apples and whipped cream.

Berries, orange zest and heaped spoonfuls of vanilla sugar.

See, told ya. Not so bad.

But sadly, not one of these delicious tricks work when you are on a diet. And I was sick to puking with force-feeding myself bowls of boring porridge day after day. You know, fat-burning food, full of goodness, keeps your tummy full all morning...in short, your basic healthy, diet-worthy, unavoidable  nightmare.

God, I have a bone to pick with you. Why, oh, why did it take you SO long to plant the thought of GRANOLA in my head?

It's baked oats. It's tasty. Crunchy. Healthy. Have it with milk in the morning. Sneak mouthfuls of it in the subway. Top up your fruit and yogurt for dessert at night. Wake up to a rumbling tummy at midnight and stuff your face again. It's good for you. You know, fat-burning food, full of goodness, keeps your tummy full... in short, the diet-food of your dreams.

Enough said.  Let's get baking.

Oats 'n Raisins Granola

(Recipe adapted from JoytheBaker)

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup slivered raw almonds

3/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberry)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

A pinch of salt

1 and a 1/2 tablespoons butter

1/8 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees Farentheit. Line baking sheet with parchment paper

2.Whisk together oats, slivered almonds, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

3.Melt together butter, oil, honey and brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to boil.    Take off the heat and add vanilla extract. Pour the warm mixture over the oat mixture and toss together to  ensure the entire mixture gets moistened by the sugar and oil syrup.

4.Spread onto prepared baking sheet and bake for about 20 to 35 minutes,  making sure to stir the oats every  ten minutes. Remove from the oven, add raisins and other dried fruit, let cool and store in an airtight container.

[This is not so much a recipe, as an idea for a recipe. Add whatever you might wish to add to the oat mixture - raisins, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, flax seeds- let your imagination run riot! :) ]