Munchie Monday: Granola, Oil Free and Sugar Free

Sometimes a little crunchy snack is a good thing.  It is especially nice if can also be your breakfast.

Today I made some granola that was quick and easy and had no added sugar and no oil at all.  I found a recipe on All Recipes for this but made it my own with a few changes.

We had several bananas just about at the ends of their ropes.  They were pretty small so I started with those.

3 small very ripe bananas, peeled and chopped
1 1/4 cups pitted dates
1/4 cup hot water
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Place these ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until entirely smooth.

In a large bowl place
8 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
6 ounces sliced almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts, or more

Mix the oatmeal and nuts together then pour over the top the wet sweet slurry and stir until every bit of the oatmeal has been wettened by the sweet sauce.

Place on two large rimmed baking sheets  and bake in at 250 degrees F. oven for 1 1/2 hours or more.  At the end of every 30 minutes bring the pans out of the oven and carefully stir the granola. It will want to jump out of the pan onto the floor or any surface, so just be careful stirring.  Put back in the oven.  At the end of 90 minutes, I shut off the oven and left the granola in it to cool.

When cool, put the granola in a VERY large bowl and add dried fruit, whatever kind you want.  I used a cup of golden raisins, 3/4 cups Craisins,  1/2 cup dried plums, chopped fine (i.e. prunes), and 1/2 cup dried apricots chopped fine.  Mix well then put in containers to await use.

This is the granola with the dried fruit it in waiting for the containers to be ready.