October 25, 2017
Granola has received a bad rap in the past because of the high fat and calories of the ingredients. The reason for this, is that most people tend to consume large amounts of it in one sitting. This can happen easily and unknowingly especially when you are eating handfuls of it at one time. The key is measuring it out and sprinkling it on top of your yogurt or smoothie. A typical serving size would be 2 tablespoons to a ¼ cup.
The commercial brands tend to have a lot of sugar and added fillers, which makes them unhealthy. That’s why I make my own. Granola’s main ingredients are oats, which are high in fiber and iron. Nuts and seeds which have heart healthy unsaturated fats, Omega -3 and protein. It’s important to note that this is where some of the extra calories come from. One more ingredient that adds extra calories is the oil which binds all the ingredients together (also makes it very yummy!).
I will provide you with a recipe that is healthy, tastes good, and is lower in calories because of the whole and natural ingredients.
There are a gazillion recipes on the internet so really the sky’s the limit when it comes to the ingredients. I like this recipe because the ginger has a nice warming effect in your throat when you eat it.
Ginger Cranberry Granola
Ingredients
- 5 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup raw walnuts, pecans or sliced almonds
- ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or chia seeds
- unsweetened coconut flakes (unsulfured)
- ½ cup dark chocolate pieces or Cacao nibs
- ¾ cup dried cranberries or raisins, currants, dates, apricots, dried blueberries
- 1 tbsp. of ground cinnamon (you can put more although I find it overpowering)
- 2 tbsp. of ground ginger
- 2 tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In a large bowl, toss oats, nuts and seeds (walnuts, pumpkin seeds), coconut flakes, dried cranberries or any dried fruit of your choice, ginger, cinnamon and coconut sugar together and set aside
- Pour maple syrup and coconut oil over the oat mixture and stir until well saturated
- I always add a bit more coconut oil at this point
- I suggest you taste it to see if it needs anything else
- Spread the oats on a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes, stirring mixture about every 10 minutes
- Oats should have a nice golden colour
Let cool and enjoy!
