Dustin's Manola: Granola for Men

My husband is a real man.

And real men eat granola. Scratch that, manola.

Back in college I started eating yogurt and granola everyday for breakfast. If you are a regular granola eater like me you know that the good granolas (without lots of sugar) are pretty spendy. This naturally progressed into homemade granola.

After getting married it wasn't long before Dustin began taking up my habits; coffee drinking, granola eating and reality TV watching are just a few. We were just living our lives, eating tons of granola, but it seemed like I could never make enough to keep up with the demand. This made Dustin a little grumpy. So he took matters into his own hands.

He concocted his own granola recipe. Because that's what real men do.

So be a real man and make this, it's dang good, I finally had to admit.

Manola: Granola for Men
makes enough to fill a giant cereal container

4 cups oats
4 cups nuts (we use a mix of almonds and walnuts usually)
1/2 cup agave or honey
1/4 oil (usually olive oil, but coconut is super tasty if you have it)
1 TBL cinnamon
1 TBL dark cocoa powder
2 cups dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, blueberries, or raisins)

Preheat oven to 325. Toast oats in a 9x13 baking dish for 15 minutes.

While the oats toast, chop nuts using a food processor. They should be chopped in very small bits, the size of grains of rice.

In a large bowl, combine nuts, cinnamon, and cocoa. Then add toasted oats and mix to combine. Add oil and agave and mix well. Scoop the mixture into an oiled 9x13 baking dish (it won't all fit, you will either need to do two batches or use two baking dishes). Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toasted and golden brown.

Allow to cool then add the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container, like a cereal keeper. Serve with yogurt or milk. Enjoy!