Granola is a very healthy food, expect for the fact that store-bought granola contains too much oil and sweeteners. Making your own is very easy and so much more delicious, because you get to combine all your personal favorites. Think outside of the box when adding dried fruit and try something new; in this version I choose figs, prunes and dates instead of raisins. You can also try dried blue berries, cranberries, pears, apricots, apples and shredded coconut. I add very little sweetener to my granola. Remember, adding more later, if it is not sweet enough for your taste, is easy, but you can't take the sweetness away if it's too much!

Using egg whites is optional, if you are vegan or just don't like eggs, leave them out. It just makes the granola a bit crunchier, but is by no means a must.

Ingredients:

6 cups of rolled oats
1.5 cups of nuts/almonds: I used 1/2 cup each walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts
1/2 cup of seeds: I used 1/4 cup each pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seed
1/4 cup chia seed (optional)
1 -2 teaspoons cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon corse salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
1/3 cup honey
1/8 cup oil
3 egg whites (optional)
2 baking sheets

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix oat, cinnamon, salt and all the nuts and seeds except chia seed. Do not mix in fruit!
Beat egg whites until frothy
Gently mix honey, oil, vanilla extract and frothy egg whites in a container and add to oat and nut mix. Mix all those ingredients together until well blended: I do this with my hands, which is messy but the best way to mix everything well and evenly.
Spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets
Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Check the granola about every 5 minutes and stir it around a bit to achieve even baking.
Remove from oven when golden brown.
Cut your dried fruit into bite size pieces and mix with the baked granola. This is also the time to add the chia seed. Chia seeds are so small that if you baked them they would burn.
That's it! You are done! Bon Appetit!