Cherry Almond Granola

I am such a creature of habit, particularly when it comes to breakfast, especially now that I’ve learned to make my own granola.  I’ve been this way forever – I’ll confess that for most of my high school years, breakfast was microwaved chicken nuggets.  I was never a fan of breakfast foods when I was growing up.  I didn’t like eggs, nor was I a fan of yogurt.  Pancakes were good and were generally the way my family attempted to sneak more eggs and milk into my diet.  I’m not entirely sure when my tastes shifted – now my normal morning routine is both yogurt and eggs: yogurt and granola, with berries when they are season and a small amount of fruit jam when they aren’t, and a hard-boiled egg, usually with pickles.

I prefer homemade granola to store bought, so have slowly gotten back into a routine of making granola every couple of weeks so that it’s readily available.  Sooner or later, I’ll get back to making my own yogurt and I’m sure I’ll blog about it when I do.  For now, here’s a simple granola that works well with berries for yogurt parfaits.

Cherry Almond Granola
Serves 8

4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup agave
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine all ingredient from oats through brown sugar.  Spread the oat mixture on the baking sheet.  Bake for ten minutes at a time for a total of thirty minutes.  Stir every ten minutes.  When the granola is baked, add the dried cherries and let cool.  Store in an airtight container.