Blackbirds and Granola

Yesterday was a good day - We telecommuted and got a lot of work done. Also, we got a lot of painting done inbetween our "real" work. My dad surprised us with a visit, bearing presents and surprises. Lots of goodies, including a nice can of claw crabmeat, smoked seafood, fancy crackers and this nice blackbird sampler. Earlier in the day, I made a big batch of our favorite granola - it is lowfat and delicious and we like to have it for breakfast pretty much every morning. It smells so good when cooking, like the best oatmeal cookies. Enjoy! This recipe is for my brother Mike, who recently asked me if I had a good granola recipe... Doesn't it look so nice in our beehive jar?

Gooch Granola

Pureed banana coats the oats and helps to hold this very low-fat granola together. Delicious with skim milk or nonfat yogurt (great snack!) and fresh fruit, the granola can also be used as a crumb crust.

4 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup unsalted raw sunflower seeds (or any other nuts you have around)

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

1 ripe banana, chopped

3 T pure maple syrup or honey (or brown sugar in a pinch)

1 1/2 T almond oil or canola oil

1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 cup wheat germ or bran

1/2 cup raisins (or whatever dried fruit you have around, chopped)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a 9 by 13 inch baking pan, combine the oats, nuts and coconuts.

In a blender or food processor, combine the banana, maple syrup or honey, oil and cinnamon and puree. Drizzle the puree over the oats and mix until thoroughly coated. Bake for 35 or 40 minutes, stirring several times, until lightly toasted. Stir in the wheat germ or bran and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and stir in the raisins. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about six cups.