I’ve been making granola ever since Trader Joe’s discontinued my favorite fruit & nut combo. I started with a recipe from Nigella Lawson’s Feast, which I posted over on the old blog, but I’ve adapted it so much since then (cutting down the sugar, adding more seeds), I figure it’s time for an update. So this is my granola now:

5 c rolled oats and/or multigrain cereal (Trader Joe’s carries a nice barley-oat-rye-wheat flake mix that I combine half and half with oats)
2 c almonds
1 c pumpkin seeds
1 c sesame seeds
1 c sunflower seeds
1/2 c ground flax meal
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
4-6 oz applesauce (I use one of the individual serving cups that Ben takes in his lunchbox)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 c honey, rice syrup, maple syrup, or some combination thereof
1 c raisins, dried cranberries, or some combination thereof

Preheat oven to 320. Stir together all the dry ingrediants in a large bowl until well combined. Add applesauce, then oil and honey or syrup, and combine well. Pour into two large, greased baking pans (I use two lasagne pans) and bake for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice along the way. Remove from the oven, stir in the dried fruit, then cool completely before storing in an airtight container.