Tiffany inspired me to finally try making my own granola. I had no idea how good it is, and how easy! And how cheap! I will never buy granola again. Mine is sooooo much better. After many experiments, this is my favorite formula so far:

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 c shredded unsweetened coconut
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp orange zest
dash cinnamon
dash salt
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. I just mix this all up on the pan with my hands –  dry ingredients first, then add the wet ingredients. Spread out evenly on the pan and set your timer for 15 minutes. Stir it every 15 minutes until it’s toasted looking. It won’t be completely dry, but it will dry out as it cools. Mine usually takes somewhere around 45 minutes. The recipe I started with suggested and hour and fifteen – it would be seriously blackened by then in my oven, so just keep an eye on it.  Let it cool completely before you store.

The only CSA element of this recipe is possibly the orange zest – our CSA is offering citrus right now. But pecans are very plentiful in Texas, so I can still call this a somewhat locally sourced recipe if I want to.