Less processing, the better

Nothing smacks of healthy more than granola. But lots of the packaged stuff that's out there is loaded with sugar and fats, not to mention lacking in freshness. Even the organic stuff can be sitting on the shelves for months, which isn't a good thing if you are looking for nutritional bang for your buck.
   Making granola in your own kitchen is a simple alternative to spending a lot for a little. All it takes is a bunch of uncooked oatmeal, whole and organic if you can get it, dried fruits such as raisins and currants (or apricots, dates, figs, whatever you love), nuts and seeds of your preference (soaked in water for a while to help invigorate them) and some sweetener such as agave (pretty easy to find in the baking aisle next to the honey) or reconstituted, pureed dates, which is what I used.
   Put everything in a large bowl. I let my dates soak in a cup or so of water and then pureed them in a food processor to make a thin, sweet liquid. I poured it on the mish-mosh and mixed well. Really well so that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. I then let it set until all of the ingredients were lumpy wet and well saturated. (Add more water to get this consistency. You really can't screw this up.)
   Now I happen to have a dehydrator. I spread a think layer of the mixture on parchment and layered four sheets. And then I let it dry for about 24 hours until crunchy and breakable into chunks. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can use your oven set on the lowest setting closest to 115 degrees. (Mine does not go this low.) But I have used my toaster oven in a pinch. The whole point is to dry out the granola, not bake it. Baking it kills nutrients. And that's the whole point behind eating this stuff, isn't it?
   While eating foods that aren't processed appeals to me because it often means much less prep time before I eat, the reverse is true when it comes to creating more elaborate, palate-pleasing dishes. It often takes a lot longer than just throwing ingredients into a pan on the stove.
   But in the long run, it is worth it, because as they say, patience is a virtue. Bon appetit.