Start the day with some protein – Free Granola Recipe!
Anna’s Granola Recipe
This sugar-free granola recipe is bursting with nourishing ingredients, which keep you fuller for longer than lots of high-sugar boxed cereals. It combines protein and fibre-rich foods which release energy more slowly, preventing the energy highs and lows you can experience with simple carbohydrates.
Topping this with fruit provides you with immune-boosting plant chemicals containing anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
This is ideal to bake spread over a lined grill tray whilst you have the oven on for other dishes.
Ingredients
1 kg whole oats
200ml good quality coconut oil
300g raw mixed nuts, chopped (or briefly pulsed in a food processor, but still in pieces, not powdered!)
200g mixed seeds (flax/linseeds, hemp, chia, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower…)
150g coconut flakes or unsweetened desiccated coconut
75g flaked almonds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
150g sultanas
Olive oil
Method
Heat oven to 160o centigrade.
Remove the grill from a grill pan or use a large baking tray. Line with non-stick paper.
Place coconut oil and oats onto the lined tray and into the oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and coat the oats well in the melted oil with a tablespoon.
Add chopped nuts and seeds and return to oven for 10 minutes.
Remove and stir well so all layers are coated and cooking.
Add coconut, flaked almonds and sprinkle with cinnamon and ginger.
Return to the oven for 5 minutes.
Remove and sprinkle with generous amount of olive oil. Toss to coat. Leave to cool.
Add sultanas and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
When eating, soak in milk or your non-dairy replacement for 10 minutes to allow oats to soften.
Add berries and / or a dollop of natural live yoghurt / kefir.
Optional extras
Chopped (fresh or dried) apple, cranberries, pear, apricots or figs.
Fresh / frozen berries (add when preparing to eat. Frozen berries are ideal when our of season, they can be defrosted quickly in the microwave or taken out of the freezer and refrigerated overnight.
You can see in this picture, I sometimes pour my frozen raspberry, banana and oat milk smoothie over it instead of plain milk, combining both as a nourishing 2-in-1 breakfast. So delicious, and definitely keeps the hunger hormones at bay until lunchtime!