Banana-date Granola 

This simple, super healthy granola made in our DaySpring kitchen has no added sugars or oil.

Ingredients:

9 cups of rolled oats

2 very ripe bananas

1 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 cup unsweetened coconut

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Optional toppings to add after baking: 1 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup sunflower and pumpkin seeds; raisins or other dried fruits.

Mix the rolled oats and coconut in a large bowl. In a blender, combine the bananas, dates, warm water, sea salt, and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Lightly oil two baking sheets or cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pans. Spread the granola evenly over the two pans. Place the baking pans in the oven with the temperature on the lowest setting. Stir every half an hour until the granola is dry and slightly crispy.

Remove the pans from the oven and cool. Add any optional ingredients before storing in an air-tight container. Any granola that you are not going to use in the next week can be frozen for future use.

Serve with nut milk, fresh seasonal fruits, and fresh ground flax or chia seeds.

Share the crunch: This granola recipe makes lovely gifts. For Christmas granola, we add fruit-juice sweetened cranberries, dehydrated local apples, pumpkin seeds, large flaked coconut, and pecans or walnuts that we brown in a pan with a little Maine maple syrup. We put the granola in cloth bags and tie them with raffia ribbon and a cinnamon stick. The recipe is included on a pretty recipe card.