OK, I decided to just call Whole Foods where we purchased the pistachios (Rhode Island). They have not yet received recall notices. But, they have pulled ALL PRODUCTS containing pistachios from the shelves in anticipation of receiving notices in the next several days as the investigation gains traction. So, I'm just going to wait a few more days & see what unfolds in the investigation. Also called the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center here in Mystic about feeding the granola to the birds. They are going to have a specialist call me in a few minutes. Our property is one of those certified wildlife habitat sites & I always err on the side of caution in our gardens. OK, just got the return call from the nature center. Birds are carriers of salmonella but they do NOT get the disease. So, I can feed the granola. But, it's another reason, according to the biologist I spoke to, that we shouldn't handle wild birds with our bare hands. So, I learned something new today. /tricia

Here's one from the low Glycemic Index Recipe Book: GRANOLA BARS - Makes 16 bars 1 1/3 cups wholewheat flour sweetener - equivalent to 1/3 cup sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 cup wheat bran 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp allspice 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp salt (optional) 1 1/2 cups rolled oats 1 cup apricots - finely chopped 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/2 cup apple juice 3 low-cholesterol (omega 3) eggs 2 tsp vegetable oil 1. Line a shallow 8 x 12 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 2. Mix the flour, sweetener, baking powder, bran and spices in a large bowl. Stir in the oats, apricots and sunflower seeds. 3. Mix the applesauce, apple juice, eggs and oil, and add to the flour mixture. 4. Pour into the baking dish and spread evenly. 5. Bake at 400F for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool and cut into bars. Source: The Glycemic Index Diet - The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss. Rick Gallop 2002 My Comments: I haven't yet made these but will be doing so in the next weeks. I use granulated white fructose in place of white sugar as it is rated as low GI. I have made several of Rick Gallop's recipes and find them to be very good, helping me lose 25 lbs in 3 months. ********************************* Here's his recipe for Granola Cereal: GI GRANOLA 1 1/2 cups (7 oz) jumbo porridge oats 1 x 40 oz pack of dried apple rings, chopped OR 2/3 cup (3 oz) dried cranberries or 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz) unsalted sunflower seeds 1/3 cup (2 oz) sesame seeds 1/3 cup (2 1/2 oz) chopped almonds 1/4 cup (2 oz) ground flaxseeds or linseeds 1 TBS ground cinnamon 2 teasp grated orange zest 1/2 teasp sea salt 1 large egg white 1 TBS vegetable oil 1 TBS clear honey 2 teasp frozen orange juice concentrate 1 teasp vanilla essence 1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Mix together in a large bowl the oats, apple, sunflower seeds,sesame seeds, almonds, flaxseeds or linseeds,cinnamon, orange zest and salt. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white, oil, honey, orange juice concentrate and vanilla essence. Pour this into the oat mixture and toss until thoroughly coated. Turn out onto a shallow baking tray lined with nonstick parchment and spread evenly. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, turning the mixture once with a spatula halfway through baking time, or until mixture is golden brown. Store in an airtight container for 2 days at room temperature or freeze for up to one month. Source: Adapted from Rick Gallop's GI Diet Green-Light Cookbook My Comments: I still haven't made this yet as we don't see dried cranberries or frozen orange juice concentrate here but I hope to make substitutes. My friend Lynne made this with dried cranberries she brought back from England. She says it's delicious! *PS January 2007 .....I just found some dried cranberries in a supermarket so will be trying this soon with fresh orange juice. SharonCb

Thanks for the recipe! It looks really versatile (my kind of recipe :-). I was looking for something to add some goji berries, and this looks like a good fit. I LOVE Lyle's Golden Syrup because it adds a buttery flavor you can't get with any other syrup. I just got a copy of "Power Hungry" The Ultimate Energy Bar Cookbook - by Camilla V. Saulsbury and am looking forward to trying many recipes out of it. I do a number of Breakfast Cookies and "KIND" bars, especially when we travel. I'm out of homemade granola and have been looking at recipes I can make in a slow-cooker, instead of firing up the oven, and it's too cloudy to pull out the Sun Oven.... So granola first.

I think you will like the Montana. It is a better seal than the glass one we had a while back. I like the ones above too, but I think the Montana will be easier for the amount your family uses. Hope it works well for you. The Pecans (puh-kahns, please) are something I made up one year. I need to make some soon. If you want to try them: Orange Cranberry Peppered Pecans 1 egg white, beaten until foamy, then whisk in 1/4 cup sugar 1 T coarsely ground black pepper 1/2 tsp sweet paprika finely grated zest of one small orange (I used a clemantine for the small batch and a large orange when I doubled it later -- both good. Adapt the seasoning to your taste too) Blend well and then stir in 2-1/2 to 3 cups pecans 1/2 cup or so of dried cranberries. Spread on parchment covered cookie sheet and bake at 300 about 15 minutes, then reduce to 250 and bake another 5-10 minutes or until the nuts are toasted and fragrant. As soon as you take them out of the oven, spread on a clean sheet of parchment to cool -- they may stick to the baked parchment as they cool --using a silicone mat wasn't an improvement.