GRANOLA - A Healthy Alternative Cereal

As many of you may know, I love to cook. Give me any recipe, and I will find a way to make it healthier. So when a patient asked what to feed her 5 year old child who loves conventional cereal, the first thing that came to mind was Granola. Sure it’s not the healthiest food out there, but it’s a lot better than Fruit Loops and Coco Pebbles.

Homemade Granola

Conventional cereals made with white flour, white sugar and lots of preservatives and artificial flavors and colors, can’t be healthy for anyone. And especially if the ingredients are GMO’ed.

So I told my patient Lorie that I would share a simple Granola recipe that I have used for years. You only need one bowl and some basic baking ingredients.

This delicious healthy granola recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup (or honey). It’s made with oats, coconut oil and your favorite nuts and fruit. Always best to use organic ingredients if possible.

Basic Ingredients

Healthy Granola

INGREDIENTS

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (instant or quick, not steel cut)

· 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds (I have used walnuts, pecans, almond slivers or raw cashews or shelled pumpkin seeds)

· 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (I use Himalayan)

· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Ceylon Cinnamon is healthiest)

· ½ cup melted coconut oil

· ½ cup maple syrup or honey

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use 2 teaspoons if you want)

· Optional: coconut chips (unsweetened) or 1 tsp ground ginger or 2 TBSP of ground orange peel. Depends on what flavor you are looking for. Just use your imagination!

After fully baked and cooled, mix in:

· For fruity granola: ½ cup any chopped dried fruit (like figs or apricots) or just use raisins or dried cranberries

·For chocolate granola: ½ cup chocolate chips (look for brands sweetened with monk fruit instead of sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not use wax paper as it may melt at this temperature.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend.

3. Pour in the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla. Mix well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.

4. Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway (for extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer). The granola will further crisp up as it cools.

5. Let the granola cool completely, undisturbed (at least 45 minutes). Top with the dried fruit (or optional chocolate chips, if using). Break the granola into pieces with your hands if you want to retain big chunks, or stir it around with a spoon if you don’t want extra-clumpy granola.

6. Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature or in a sealed freezer bag in the refrigerator.

Yields about 8 cups granola, enough for about 16 half-cup servings.

Fully Baked

Once you try fresh home baked granola, you won’t go back to the store-bought variety. This tastes so much better and is far healthier than anything you can get in the supermarket. Plus it is so easy to make. Bon appetit!