Granola Girl

Granola is one of many delights that makes me excited to have breakfast. 

There are so many varieties - nutty, seedy, apple & cinammon, sultana, maple syrup flavoured, tropical, berry...but unfortunately, all tend to be very sugary.

In my quest to eat clean and expel as much refined sugar from my diet as possible, I decided the market for clean granola (within my budget) was just not popular enough in my surrounding vicinity of supermarkets.

So, I made my own! Very simple, very satisfying and very tasty! And no refined sugars added.

Ingredients
350-400g whole oats (rolled or jumbo)
2 large handfuls of mixed seeds - sunflower or pumpkin are tasty
Your choice of mixed nuts - whole or roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
2 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp pure maple syrup (optional)
3 tsp cinnamon (optional)
2 tsp natural vanilla extract (optional)

Step 1
Pour about 350-400g of oats into a large mixing bowl. You can experiment by adding other flaked wholegrains too - I've tried rye flakes which adds some different nutrients to the mix.
Add about 2 large handfuls of pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or both (if you prefer these un-toasted, leave adding these until the very end...this will save nutrient depletion during roasting too). 
To up the protein and vitamin content, add loads of chopped nuts - go wild! Try macadamia, pecan, unsalted shelled pistachios, walnuts, or brazil nuts. They can be whole or roughly chopped. About 200g will make it nice and nutty.

Step 2
Pour over the oat mixture, 2-3 tbsp of rapeseed or sunflower oil. These are healthy oils that don't have a strong flavour, so won't overpower the granola. It may not seem like a lot of oil, but it is plenty - you just need to keep stirring. 
Add 2 tablespoons of clear, good quality honey. A reasonably priced, local one that is cold extracted and has no added nasties is Littleover Apiary honey. 
www.activeenglishhoney.co.uk  

If you like it sweeter, add another tablespoon of pure maple syrup. Mix, mix, mix! To bring an extra warmth to the flavour, add 2 teaspoons of natural vanilla extract and 3 teaspoons of cinnamon (my favourite!).






Step 3

Spread the mixture evenly onto two or three shallow baking trays - the mixture should be a couple of cm thick so it toasts quickly and evenly.
Place the trays into a pre-heated oven at 180 c, gas mark 4, 350 f and bake for 8 minutes if using rolled oats, 10 minutes if using jumbo. Shake the mixture in the trays half way through cooking time to ensure it toasts evenly.

Step 4
Remove the toasted granola mixture and empty it evenly onto a large sheet of baking parchment to cool. Once cooled, add any further ingredients as desired, such as raw or toasted coconut flakes, raisins, chopped dried apricots, dates or cranberries.
Enjoy with some fresh cold milk, yogurt or as a healthier topping for fruit crumbles!