a while back, i made a salad with candied pecans on top.  to make the pecans, i used a seasoning salt (jack stack seasoning, to be exact) and mixed it with cinnamon.  those pecans were HEAVENLY.

so i thought i’d make a granola version of that.  it’s still in the oven, and smelling like some exotic indian bakery.  i can’t quite describe the amazing smell.

okay, it’s out of the oven, and it is awesome!

i only had a 1/2 cup of oats, so i threw those in, and added a ton of nuts.  you could simply make this with nuts and it would be a fantastic nut mix.

i added unsalted, raw cashews, almonds, shelled pistachios ~ everything i had in my nut drawer in the fridge, which used to be my cheese drawer.

then i added a tablespoon of coconut oil, about 1/3 cup of agave nectar, jack stack seasoning salt (or lawry’s or whatever seasoning salt you like), cinnamon, salt and pepper, a little brown sugar, and a pinch of garam masala, if you have it.  i just love that light, exotic flavor garam masala gives.

bake in a 350 oven for 15 minutes.  make sure it doesn’t start burning.  i think mine might be a little on the burnt side, but it’s still really good.  after it cooled, i added raisins, dried cranberries and dried cherries.

here’s an idea:  what if you combined the yummy flavor of chex mix with the sweetness of granola?  use pretzels, nuts, oats, wheat chex ~ all the healthier parts of both of those mixes.  no butter, just a little coconut oil or olive oil, and agave nectar.  then that seasoning salt/cinnamon mixture.  that could be really good!

i like what i made tonight and i think it’s relatively healthy…