Granola

I'm a big fan of yogurt. There's something about the cultures that calm my "sour" stomach. Seems that I inherited my Grandpa Bob's stomach. He fixed his with a glass of buttermilk a day, I fix mine with yogurt. I've had many different types of yogurt but have found that I really like the thickness of greek yogurt. Now I have a snack of plain nonfat greek yogurt, agave and granola most days and find that my stomach doesn't give me too much grief.

I tend to be picky about my granola, thinking that most commercial varieties have too many calories and fat. They also have ingredients that I don't really like in my granola, like raisins or chocolate or coconut. All good ingredients on their own, just not my favorite mixed in yogurt. I found this recipe while I was on the Best Life Diet, and have been making it for a few years. I keep it pretty much the same but tend to add in whatever dried fruit I'm feeling at the time. Also this is a granola that I can't burn, another plus, and that surprise of ginger is a nice touch.

Low Fat Fruit Granola 

4 cups regular rolled oats
1/4 cup unprocessed wheat bran
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried fruit (cranberry, cherry, apricot, apple, etc)
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the oats and bran on a large baking sheet.

In a small pan over medium heat, stir in the canola oil, maple syrup, and vanilla and almond extracts. When the mixture begins to bubble, pour it over the oat mixture and mix well.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Add the almonds and stir the mixture thoroughly. Continue to bake until the oats and almonds are lightly toasted, about 10 minutes more, stirring again halfway through.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Bake until the oats are crisp, about 5 minutes longer.

Remove the pan from the oven and stir the mixture. Let the granola cool for 5 minutes, then stir again.

When completely cool, store the granola in an air-tight container for up to 4 weeks. Makes 24 - 1/4cup servings for 108 calories a serving.