Healthy granola

This healthy granola recipe is a great way to start your day.  It is packed full of nutritious ingredients and is gluten and sugar free too.

Granola is something I always have to hand in my kitchen.  My family love to top their yoghurt with it for a delicious breakfast.  I love to eat it with berries and milk like a cereal and it is also great as a snack.

There are so many wonderful ingredients you can use to make a healthy granola; in this recipe I use nuts and seeds but you could add coconut or fruit if you would like.

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Healthy

I use natural sugar in this recipe to make it sweet instead of refined sugar.  I like to use date syrup, honey and maple syrup.  They are much less likely to cause inflammation in the body, they certainly do not cause me inflammation, which is great as I get to enjoy something sweet without worrying about any pain it may bring or the guilt of the extra calories.

Ingredients

Pecans

Pecans are one of my favourite nuts, they taste creamy and I love them.  If you love them too then check out my maple and pecan granola.  Pecans have many health benefits; they are great source of iron and helps to boost your immunity.

Hazelnuts

These nuts are so versatile and I add them to everything I can.  Some benefits of hazelnuts are that they can help support your heart and to help fight inflammation too, a real bonus for me!

Walnuts

Omega 3 is something that everyone needs in their diet, if you eat a plant based diet, walnuts are a great source.  They are also high in anti-oxidants too.

Sunflower seeds

Sunflower seeds give this healthy granola a nice chewy element.  They help fight inflammation and help to fight sickness too.

Oats

I use gluten free oats because I avoid gluten altogether.  I use oats for SO many  things from granola and porridge to pancakes and even smoothies.  They are really versatile, filling and can even help lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar.

Peanut butter

Peanut butter is great for a boost of healthy fats, it needs to be 100% peanut butter though.  It also goes with so much.  It makes this granola super tasty, it makes a smoothie amazing, its stickiness is great for baking and it is a must with fruit as a snack too!

How to make

Collect all of your ingredients together; I like to do this so everything is in easy reach when you need it.  This will save you from rushing around your kitchen looking for ingredients.

For equipment you just need a large bowl, a spoon, and a couple of baking trays lined with baking paper.

Make a paste with the honey, date syrup, peanut butter and a dash of maple syrup.

Add the gluten free oats and mix well, scraping the spoon as you go.  You will feel like there are too many oats for the amount of paste, but this is what you want, just keep mixing until everything is combined and the oats are all covered with the paste.

Chop the nuts and add these to the bowl and mix well.

Add the sunflower seeds.

Add the maple syrup and mix well.

Transfer to the baking tray and spread out evenly, you can leave it with thick clumps if you would prefer your granola this way, or separate further if you do not.  I used baking paper but sometimes I don’t, use your preference.

Bake for 20 minutes, mixing once, until golden brown.  Please note that the granola will become crunchier after cooling so do not keep cooking until super crunchy or you will end up with granola that is too hard to eat.

Enjoy your breakfast

Health and happiness

Laura x