not your average granola

Today I made a new granola recipe packed with healthy grains.

My goal was to make a granola recipe that did not use oils or butter and uses very little sugar. I discovered a few years ago that all good clumpy and crunchy granolas use heaping amounts of oils to make the oats and other pieces stick together. I was crushed and just did not feel the same about eating store bought granola (although some newer brands do not use oil). I refuse to make granola in the traditional way, and have found alternatives that are nutritious and delicious. Read on...

Some tricks to granola (and baking in general) include using applesauce instead of oil, using agave syrup in place of some sugar and using fruit for plumpy sweetness. I also try to find as many fiber and nutrient dense foods that I can. I typically use agave because it has a lower glycemic index than other sweeteners. I try to eat with a purpose to fuel my body and supply it with the necessary nutrients to live to 100 years old (or beyond with modern science).

I am a huge fan of textures, thus I need crunch, I need chunks of various tasty treats, and I need a multitude of flavors. I typically cook with "everything but the kitchen sink" philosophy in mind. The more the merrier, right?!  Today granola's grains/bulk included oats, flax meal, wheat bran, uncooked millet and sweet potato. If you look close, the circular pearl like things in the first picture below is the millet, which creates a crunchy texture. Millet is a fiber source as well as a protein source and contains two essential amino acids that other common grains are lacking. And amino acids are key for growth and cellular repair, thus very beneficial. Essential amino acids cannot be "made" by the body and therefore need to be obtained through food. The wheat bran and flax meal are additional natural fiber sources, and flax meal has omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Am I boring you yet? I'll get to the recipe, if I can scrap it together. 

Cooling just out of the oven

 

 

Stored and ready for the freezer

Dryish ingreds:

2 C oats

1/2 C uncooked millet

1/4 C flax meal

1/4 C wheat bran

1/2 C peanuts or other nut

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/4 C brown sugar

1 chopped apple

More wet ingreds:

1 small sweet potato (baked, boiled or other cooked), cut into small pieces 

1/4 scant C of almond milk

1/4 C peanut butter

1/4 C brown sugar

1/4 C agave  

1/2 C. raisins

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp almond extract

Directions: Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.

Place sweet potato, milk, peanut butter and brown sugar from the wet ingredients in a blender or food processor and make a puree. Depending on how chunky or smooth/creamy you like it, processor until you are content with the mixture. Add this combination to the dry ingredients bowl as well as all other wet ingredients. Mixture may not seem like it has enough liquids at first, but keep mixing and it should all come together. Feel free to add additional dried fruits, nuts, etc.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or watch until golden. I have burned many times and although I still eat it, it's not ideal. 

So there you have it, today's creation, which took less time to make and bake than it did to write this blog post. Enjoy or wait for another post that may tickle your fancy a little more.