Healthy Granola Recipe

Filling Home Made Breakfast Cereal Recipe

Aug 14, 2009 Shefali Choudhury

This Granola recipe makes a healthy version of a nutritious cereal that is easy to store and can be enjoyed in many ways.

Granola is a classic, filling breakfast cereal which tastes best when made at home. As well as being hearty, it can also be packed with nutrition, being the perfect start to an active day. Making this cereal from scratch means being able to control the ingredients and is especially good for anyone on a special diet.

Making granola is very easy but takes a whole afternoon. It is good to make on a day when there are other things to be done around the house, especially as it will fill the house with a sweet baking aroma. It can be made in a big batch and stored in an airtight container.

The following quantities should make enough cereal for a few weeks.

Healthy Granola Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg Rolled jumbo oats
  • 200g Whole almonds
  • 100g Pumpkin Seeds
  • 100g Sunflower Seeds
  • 200 - 300g Raisins or sultanas; try to find juicy, sweet varieties such as Chillean flame raisins
  • 75g Cold milled flax seed
  • 100ml sunflower oil
  • Ground cinnamon to taste
  • Compote - see below

For the Compote:

  • 12 - 15 Eating apples depending on size, cored and diced
  • 250g Fructose

Prepare the Oven:

  1. Take two or three large baking trays and line with baking parchment or foil. If very large baking trays are not to hand then simply remove line the oven shelves with foil.
  2. Preheat the oven to a low to medium heat, around 150 degrees or gas mark 3 - 4.

Make the Compote:

  • Place cubed apples in a saucepan with a splash of filtered water. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the apple is soft and becoming a puree. It usually takes about fifteen minutes. Add some fructose and blend in just before turning off the heat. Although this puree will be sweet without the fructose, the apple sauce is the main way the whole of the cereal is sweetened so a little extra is necessary. Adjust this to taste.

Baking the Granola:

  1. Mix together the dry ingredients excluding the flax seed, raisins or any fruit, and then blend in the sunflower oil and the fruit compote. This should form a sticky, crumbly mulch.
  2. Spread this thinly over the baking sheets, packing it down to stick together.
  3. Toast the cereal in the oven until golden. The whole process takes up to three hours as it needs to be dried out and crisped all over. It must not be burned on the top and soggy underneath as this will mean that the cereal cannot be stored.
  4. Every half an hour during this time rake the cereal over with a spatula, exposing any bits which are yet to toast.
  5. Once the granola is golden, crispy, toasted etc take it out of the oven and let it cool. The flax seeds, raisins or any other fruit used can be mixed in at this point. The cooling process can take a long time but it is very important to be thorough. If cooling in a box then keep shaking it around and stirring it every so often. This will ensure that any steam escapes and that the granola does not go damp and moldy. Only when it is all cold and dry, put the lid on.

Variations:

It is possible to change some of the ingredients to get different flavors.

  • Pears make and excellent substitute for apples in the sauce. A mix of pear and apple is also good and fresh peaches are similarly tasty.
  • Raw Cacao nibs give a delicious chocolate flavor but are free from refined sugar and suitable for vegans.
  • Any dried fruit is suitable to use instead of raisins but look for unsweetened varieties as fruit contains enough natural sugar. Chewy banana chips, berries, coconut or apricots work very well.
  • Almonds are the best nut to use in bulk but mix with pecans or macadamia nuts if desired.

Ways to Eat Granola:

  • Enjoyed simply with milk, this makes a robust breakfast or brunch. Be careful to take a slightly smaller portion than you think you can eat as it will be extremely filling after the first couple of spoons full. Being calorific as well as packed with nutrition balances out the small portion. Perfect with hot milk in the winter, this granola is delicious with hot or cold soya milk for those avoiding dairy.
  • For anyone in need of emergency nutrition, eating scantly at other times, or actually needing to gain weight, serve the granola with fresh almond milk.
  • Fruit yogurt or fruit soya yogurt adds freshness to a bowl of breakfast Granola.
  • For a rich breakfast that is less loaded down with cereal, try Greek yoghurt, a banana, some fresh berries and a generous topping of Granola.
  • Sprinkle Granola on to fresh fruit salad, live yogurt or fruit compote for the perfect every day breakfast. This balances the calorific content of the Granola but is full of healthy goodness. Anyone wishing to maintain or lose weight is best to eat it this way most often.
  • Blend a small handful of Granola into a yogurt or milk based smoothie. Fruit, juice or protein powder can also be added depending on the meal requirement. Use strong blender such as a Vita-mix and mix until smooth. Perfect flavors for this include strawberries, mango, chocolate oat or soya milk and banana.
  • For an indulgent after-hours snack, sprinkle Granola on to vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt but beware that this can become and unhealthy addiction.

The copyright of the article Healthy Granola Recipe in Recipes is owned by Shefali Choudhury. Permission to republish Healthy Granola Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
apple rings and almonds, schoudhury apple rings and almonds
   
What do you think about this article?
NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.
post your comment
What is 0+7?