I have been on a huge honey kick lately. Something about the sticky, sweet stuff has completely taken over me. I want it in my dressings, in my marinades and even in my snacks! More than half of the recipes I've created in the last few weeks use honey at least a tiny bit. It's the ultimate sweetener. Unlike other sugars, honey is actually good for you. It's rich in antioxidants and flavanoids which have been shown to help prevent cancer and heart disease and is also a probiotic. It helps with gut issues (something I am in desperate need of lately) which is probably thanks to the probiotics. It has anti-bacterial properties, helps with blood sugar maintenance, skincare and more. There are a ton more benefits to the golden nectar but I think you get the gist.

Honey is a great ingredient when you need a sweetener but want to cut down on sugar. It's also a great natural ingredient for smaller tasks like cutting the acid in a salad dressing or contrasting with spiciness in a marinade. You don't always need a lot of honey to make a difference in a recipe and that's what I love about it the most. It's also great with breakfast items like cereal and granola. But the average bag of granola costs upwards of $4 and the better the quality the higher the price. In an effort to save money and snack well, I decided to experiment and make my own granola. After all, how hard could it be?

The answer: not hard at all. Granola is the pasta of breakfast food. It's versatile, adaptable and can literally be made with whatever you'd like. A basic recipe usually includes oats, seeds and nuts. You can also include rice cereal, dried fruits and even chocolate. Granola can be adapted to be savory, sweet or a combination of both. I've even seen spicy granola options out there. All it takes is a combination of the right ingredients and a baking sheet. Check out the full recipe below.

HONEY ALMOND GRANOLA
Ingredients:
3 cups Old-Fashioned Oats
1 cup Sliced Almonds
3/4 cup Sunflower Seeds
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
3/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, almonds sunflower seeds, salt and nutmeg. Add in honey, grapeseed oil and vanilla, incorporating well to coat all of the dry ingredients.

3. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until toasted and crispy. Let cool. Once cooled, break the granola into chunks and serve however you prefer.