A GRANOLA RECIPE FOR PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY DON'T LIKE GRANOLA

If you don't think you like granola because it is healthy and unsatisfying - or maybe because all you've tasted were those artificially soft granola bars from big name companies that you picked up at the hotel breakfast bar and ate later in the day, at the office or on the plane, to break the boredom or satisfy an urge - but it was yuk because it is yuk and besides, what you really wanted was an ice cream cone or a slice of chocolate cake, (or an early arrival). Or perhaps you jumped into what you thought was high-end healthiness only to repelled by the weirdly unsatisfying cattle meal that Kashi produces...

Try making this one. It is simple, tasty, versatile, and open to variations depending on your preferences.

Maple Almond Granola

1. Combine 1 cup chopped ALMONDS, 1 cup grated COCONUT and 3 cups old-fashioned rolled OATS in a bowl.
2. Mix 1/4 cup VEGETABLE OIL with 1/2 cup MAPLE SYRUP in a pot and warm it. Add it to the dry ingredients with a pinch of SALT. Mix thoroughly and spread on a large baking sheet.
3. Bake in a 350˚ oven for 12-15 minutes, stirring 2-3 times at regular intervals, until the coconut and the oats begin to turn golden brown.
4. Remove from oven and stir in 3/4 cup golden raisins and 1/4 cup dried cherries.

Let it cool and store in a mason jar.

You can vary this recipe with different nuts, different fruit (I add chopped dried apricots sometimes), more coconut, less coconut, more maple syrup. Use olive oil in place of the bland vegetable oil for a more pronounced aromatic accent. Or if you like that salty-sweet thing, add some kosher or sea salt to the batch when it comes out of the oven.

I discovered the original recipe in an early '80s Gourmet magazine and adapted it to my tastes. We make this a few times a year and eat it straight for a quick sweet bite, or on fresh fruit. Pour some on vanilla yogurt or into your cold cereal (like shredded mini wheats) to spike it up a notch. It also makes a good, homey little Christmas gift.

(editor's note - I hope Kashi isn't advertising this blog. And if it is, go ahead and try it yourself. Maybe it's just me.)