Homemade Agave Almond Granola

I have recently began trying to get my mom on a path that would make both her and my dad healthier.  I've been taking recipes that they really love and redoing them, making them healthier.  These are the recipes that will be coming one by one as I work out all the kinks.  Some of them can't be completely healthy even when remade, but some can. 

Most weekday mornings, my mom has yogurt and granola.  I started looking at her granola and what was in it.  I soon realized that her prepackaged granola was making her sugar skyrocket.  Mom is boderline diabetic, and she has a crash by mid-morning, when she eats things like graham crackers and the like to get her blood sugar back up.  I took the initiative to make her some more nut butter to eat with some apples or bananas for her snack.  But, my true focus was the granola.

Agave nectar is sweet, and I have described it several times as if honey, maple syrup, and molasses had a love child.  It is delicious.  It is also low on the glycemic index, which is awesome for anyone but especially good for boderline diabetics or full-blown diabetics.  I knew this would be the sweetener for her granola.

You'll notice that several recipes of mine contain coconut oil.  Hail Merry, one of my favorite companies, explains coconut oil very well.  It is absolutely fantastic for your body.  Yes, it is a fat, but it is a good, healthy fat, and one in which our bodies can use and needs.

The recipe itself is super simple.  It just takes time to bake it.  Bring a book or your laptop with you as you bake it up.  Mom wanted some dried fruit in her granola, which is fine.  If you do use fruit, be sure that it is unsweetened.

Ingredients:

3 c. of oats
3/4 c. of flax seeds
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/3 c. agave nectar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c. unsweetened dried fruit of your choice (optional, and I put apricot in mom's)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the oats, flax seeds, and almonds.
3. In a small bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave.  Don't let it get too hot.  Just heat it enough to melt it.
4. To the coconut oil, add the agave, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix these ingredients together well.
5. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients.
6. Spread the granola mixture on a cookie sheet.
7. Let bake for ten minutes, then take out and turn the granola.  Continue doing this until the granola has baked for 40 minutes.
8. Let it cool, then put it in an airtight storage container.  At this point, mix in the dried fruit if you are using it.
9. Chow down.

I like it better without fruit and added with the Avocado Pudding recipe from the Vegan Stoner. Trust me, it's awesome.