Recipes | Bee Best Honey

Honey granola with fruits, seeds & nuts

We love this mixture, but you can make this granola your own. Sub almonds with cashews, cut-up dried apricots for the cranberries, or chopped figs for the raisins. Choose strong, dark honey or a delicate, light type—whichever suits your taste.

TIP: When measuring honey for recipes, first lightly spray the measuring spoon with oil; all the honey will slide right out.

WORK TIME: 10 Minutes
TOTAL TIME: 45 Minutes + Cooling Time
SERVINGS: 18

1 c honey 
⅓ c canola or safflower oil 
⅛ tsp salt 
4 c old-fashioned rolled oats 
1 c unsalted pumpkin seeds
½ c slivered almonds 
½ c unsalted sunflower seed kernels 
2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
 1 c dried sweetened cranberries
 1 c golden raisins

1. PUT one oven rack in middle position and another just below. Heat oven to 300°F. Lightly oil 2 rimmed baking sheets.
2. COMBINE honey, oil, and salt in small saucepan. Set over medium heat and stir until hot and well blended, 2 minutes.
 3. MIX oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds (if using) in large bowl. Stir honey mixture again. Drizzle over oat mixture while stirring. Continue stirring until oats are thoroughly coated. 
4. SPREAD mixture on prepared baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes. Stir. Rotate pans top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown, 10 to 18 more minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning. 
5. COOL and stir in cranberries and raisins. Transfer to airtight storage containers.

NUTRITION (per ½ cup serving) 263 cal, 5 g pro, 43 g carb, 3 g fiber, 9 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 19 mg sodium

Spreads, Sauces & Dips
•Make whipped honey-butter by blending 1 stick (4 ounces) of room-temperature butter and 3 to 4 tablespoons of honey.

•Stir up a barbecue sauce by blending ¼ to ⅓ cup of honey into 1 small can (6 ounces) of tomato paste. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of prepared mustard and season with Worcestershire or soy sauce to taste. Thin with water, if necessary.

•Blend ¼ cup of prepared mustard, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 tablespoon of mayo for a honey-mustard sandwich spread.

•Prepare a peanut dip for vegetables by thinning peanut butter with a little hot water or broth. Sweeten with honey, and add soy sauce and red-pepper flakes or Asian chili sauce to taste.

Baked Treats
•Brush honey on still-hot, freshly baked muffins for a quick glaze.

•Prepare a cake filling by whipping 2 cups of low-fat ricotta in a food processor with 4 tablespoons of honey and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Stir in ¼ cup of chopped crystallized ginger.

•Make frosting for carrot cake by blending 12 ounces of room-temperature whipped cream cheese, ⅓ cup of honey, the grated zest of an orange, and a pinch of salt.

Breakfasts or Snacks
•Drizzle honey on grapefruit halves. Eat as is or brown under the broiler.

•Toss fresh fruit chunks in honey-sweetened low-fat plain yogurt.

•Sweeten a smoothie with honey instead of sugar.

•Top your morning cereal, hot or cold, with honey.

•Spread almond butter on a brown rice cracker and drizzle with honey.