Almond Maple Granola

good morning and happy monday! i hope everyone had a great weekend! we had the most wonderful thunderstorm last night. i LOVE thunderstorms but unfortunately, our big scary guard dog dignan does not. poor thing, he hides under desks or tables or curls up as closely to E or i as he can. he doesn't like fireworks either for that matter. but, i digress . . .

as you may remember, one of my favorite breakfast involves plain greek yogurt, granola, and fresh fruit. i know that granola is often loaded with sugar and some not so natural things, so i always try and find the most natural one in the organic section of wegmans. bear naked is my favorite but i decided since i have created what i think to be a delicious granola bar recipe, i should be able to make my own granola too.

trial #1 turned out pretty well thank you very much. it doesn't have quite the crunch i like but it was really good for my first try and i will enjoy eating every bite. of course, i will continue to tweak my recipe until i deem it perfect and will keep you abreast of my successes and failures. for those that want to try along with me here is trail #1 - almond maple granola.

i used both almonds and pecans as well as maple syrup and coconut oil and almond paste and coconut flakes. but, instead of calling it almond coconut pecan maple granola i chose almond maple granola. that's my story and i'm sticking to it!

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Almond Maple Granola
(makes 5 cups)

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup brown rice cereal
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup chopped raw pecans
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tbs almond paste, ground to a flour-like consistency in the food processor
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut oil

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the almond paste really gives this some wonderful almond flavor and surprisingly enough all of the flavors (coconut, almond, pecan, and maple) work really well together. they don't compete but rather join together to make a party in my mouth:)

i would love if someone out there tried this, gave me their feedback, or even tried their own and let me know how it goes. a girl can dream . . .