Yummy, Crunchy Granola

So far our favourite thing about living in Cape Breton is the proximity to so many awesome hikes and beaches. Every weekend we pack up my trusty old ugly yellow backpack with peanut butter and jam sandwiches, a baggie of gorp and a couple bottles of water and head to the hills (or the shore). I added a little slide show with some of our pictures of these adventures and will keep adding to it. Unfortunately last weekend's hike lives only in memory as the camera threw a tantrum and decided to stay in the car. Ok, I forgot to take it out of the car, which was really a shame as we did a 3-hour hike along the shore by the lighthouse in Louisbourg. Ah well, we'll go back. There are so many hikes around that we should be busy until long after the snow comes - then we'll just have to pick up some snowshoes and keep going.

Anyway, this is supposed to be a food blog, so I decided to post something hike-friendly. And really, what says outdoorsy hiking like a granola bar? This is a conglomeration/adaptation of a number of recipes I found online and ingredients I found in my kitchen. I borrowed most from the recipe found here http://runningtimes.com/blogs/?p=25. They turned out great - even held as 'bars' while not being too hard to chew.

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup bran
1/8 cup ground flax seed
1 cup nuts and seeds (I used hemp seeds, pumpkin seeks, sesame seeds, soy nuts and peanuts)
1/4 butter or margarine
1/4 cup honey (I'm thinking of trying agave next time)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup raisins
1 Tbs goji berries

Preheat Oven to 325

Combine the oats, bran, seeds and nuts in a 9x13 pan and toast for 25 min, stirring occasionally. Remove pan and increase heat to 350.

While the oats and nuts toast, combine the butter, honey and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted add the peanut butter and stir until well blended.

Pour the toasted oat mixture into a large bowl. Add the raisins and goji berries. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in the butter mixture until evenly coated. Place the mixture into the 9x13 pan and press it firmly to form an even block (I put a piece of wax paper over the mixture so i could really press it down without getting all goopy).

Bake at 350 for 12 min (without the wax paper, of course). Place pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before cutting. Cut into bars and enjoy. mmmmm