Vanilla Cherry Almond Granola

Enjoy this granola as a cold cereal with lowfat milk or as a topping for fruit salad, yogurt or fruit parfaits.

Makes about 9 cups

1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (optional)
1 1/2 cups almonds
1 cup ground flaxseed
4 1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

5 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons apple juice

2 cups dried cherries

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Add the first seven ingredients to a medium-sized roasting pan or an
   8 x 13-inch baking pan and mix ingredients together.
2. Add the vanilla, molasses, honey and canola oil to a 2-cup measure and stir together well. Drizzle over the dry mixture in pan and stir it all together to coat the dry mixture evenly with the honey mixture.
3. Bake in pan for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. When completely cooled, stir in the dried cherries. Store in a large zip-lock plastic bag or sealed container.

Per 1/2 cup: 250 calories, 9 g protein, 32 g carbohydrate,
11 g fat (1.2 g saturated fat, 6 g monounsaturated fat,
6.3 g polyunsaturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g fiber,
4 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 39 percent.
Omega-3 fatty acids = approx. 3 g
Omega-6 fatty acids = approx. 3 g