No-Added Sugar Apple & Walnut Granola

Makes 10 portions of healthy granola

Why hello there old friends!  It has been quite a while since I have had the time to pop over here and post a recipe on my blog.  Between homeschooling two totally zoom-fatigued kids, dealing with a teething and non-sleeping 9 month old, doing all of the housework and cooking, there has not been too much time for creativity in the kitchen.  But our morning routine was getting into a serious cereal-rut, I felt like something had to be done about it!  The perfect breakfast has a good balance of healthy fats, protein, complex carbohydrates and fibre.  Shop bought cereals and granolas are often loaded with sugars and are typically low in both protein and fibre, which leads to blood sugar levels soaring and then subsequently crashing, and doesn’t keep you full for very long.  They sure are convenient but they aren’t a particularly healthy way to start the day.  So I wanted to batch cook something that would be quick and easy to serve in the busy mornings but that would also be full of wholesome and nutritious ingredients too.

This utterly delicious and healthy apple and walnut granola has no added sugar whatsoever (not even any drizzle of honey or maple syrup) and is only naturally sweetened by whizzing up some quick soaked dates and a couple of bananas. It is loaded with wholegrain oats (I used rye for a change but any porridge oats will do), a bunch of seeds and omega 3-rich walnuts.   One portion provides 348 calories, 9g of plant-based protein and a whopping 8g of fibre. Now those macros are just incomparable with any packaged granola bought in the shops. Especially when you consider it also provides over a quarter of my daily Vitamin C requirements, making it a great little immune booster too.  Serving it with some milk or yoghurt and some fresh berries, makes it a fabulous way to start the day. 

Be warned!  This recipe only makes 10 portions and given that we are a family of 4, we run out of it pretty darn quickly! So I always make a double batch to avoid the disappointment when it runs out!

Apple & Walnut Granola Ingredients

·       2 Bananas
·       125g Smooth Nut Butter of your choice
·       20g Coconut Oil
·       4 Pitted Medjool Dates
·       300g Oats 
·       180g Mixed Nuts and Seeds (I used 40g Flaked Almonds, 60g Chopped Walnuts, 40g Pumpkin Seeds and 40g Sunflower Seeds)
·       100g Dried Fried (I used 50g Dried Mulberries and 50g chopped Dried Apple Rings) 

Method

·       Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
·       In a small bowl, quick soak the dates in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.
·       Discard the water and just use the soft dates.
·       In a high speed blender, add the bananas, dates, nut butter and coconut oil; and blitz until smooth.  Add a couple of tbsp of water to thin if necessary.
·       Weigh the oats, nuts and seeds. 
·       In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweet date mixture with the oats, nuts and seeds.
·       Spread this thinly on to a large roasting tray and pop in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until crispy and golden.  Keep on checking and turning it throughout to prevent it from burning.
·       Once it has cooled, add the dried fruit and store in an airtight jar for a couple of weeks….not that it will even last that long!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories – 348
Protein – 9g
Fat – 15g
Carbohydrates – 45g
Fibre – 8g
Vitamin C – 27%
Calcium – 9%