Cranberry Almond Granola

My husband is trying to gain weight. LUCKY duck!!! However, he wants to do it the RIGHT way, so that means he's not eating cheeseburgers and donuts all the time—instead he needs something NUTRITIOUS and filling. Our regular homemade granola is delicious and he LOVES it, but this is a more HEALTHY version. It is absolutely delicious!

Cranberry Almond Granola (from eatingwell.com)
2/3 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola or almond oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup dried cranberries (we used the cherry-flavored)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat two cookie sheets with sides with nonstick spray; set aside.

In a saucepan, whisk together the juice concentrate, syrup, oil, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and then stir in the cinnamon and salt.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, wheat germ, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Stir in the liquid mixture and toss to coat. Spread the granola evenly on the two prepared pans. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Reverse pans in oven and continue baking until lightly browned and aromatic, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes more. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks; stir 1/2 cup cranberries into each pan and let cool completely.

TIP: We didn't have wheat germ so we just substituted another cup of oats. I'm sure that any other dried fruit would be fabulous in this mix as well!