Homemade in the Microwave Granola

I totally stole this recipe off the web somewhere, a year or two ago, but I have changed it a lot, so hopefully I won't get sued. I make it every week, for Dave. He eats it with vanilla yogurt. The other day he said, "we were out of yogurt, so I tried the granola with milk and it was really good!" I did not have the heart to tell him that he did not invent this idea.

I buy the nuts and things at the bulk foods section in the grocery store. I've never worked out if it saves any money, but it's gotta be healthy, with all those nuts and the flax seeds, right? I've tried lowering the oil amount, and the sugar, and it still works, but this is the combo that tastes the best to the grouch.

Microwave Granola

4 cups oatmeal

1 cup walnuts, broken or cut into small pieces

1 cup pecans, broken or cut

1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup flax seed

1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

1 cup olive oil

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

sea salt

You can change the amounts of the nuts and things, and it can be approximate, it's not critical.

Anyway, put it all in a glass bowl, give it a stir and pop it into the microwave for 3 minutes. Take out and stir. Do this 2 more times, for a total of 9 minutes, and then finish off with 2 minutes and 20 seconds. So 11 minutes and 20 seconds total. I have a new microwave, so your time my vary, but just make sure it's browned some, but not burnt. It browns in the middle, so stirring is important. I made it for months without really browning it, undercooked we liked it, but it's really better now that I am cooking it longer.

After it is golden brown, turn onto a pammed cookie sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and let cool. When it is cool, put it in a pretty glass canister so you can look all earth maidenish in your kitchen.

It tastes exactly like the kind you make in the oven, but I find it so much easier to do this way.

One of my most scathing comments I've made about people you see driving around in a flowered volkswagen bus is "they look like they make their own granola" And I make my own granola. But I drive an old lady car.