You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘seeds’ tag.
Granola has officially joined the list of things I will never buy at a store again. I finally got around to making some, which I’ve been meaning to do for quite some time. I was so happy with the end result that homemade granola is now in competition with my standard breakfast (oatmeal). In fact, I keep finding myself thinking of different ”themes” for future batches of granola.
For this batch, I went with a spiced chai type theme, using cardamom, clove, cinnamon and ginger. I also ground up some orange (actually, clementine) peels to give the granola a hint of citrus. One friend noted that it smells “like Christmas.” Which brings to mind another great thing about homemade granola: it makes for a great inexpensive and edible gift that can be manipulated according to occasion. If you have an inner Martha Stewart, you can package it up in jars or clear bags with ribbon to enhance its aesthetic appeal. But I handed some out to various recipients in plain old zip-lock bags and found it pretty well-received.
The other great thing about this granola is that it is packed full of healthy ingredients. The fabulousness of oats has already been covered in a previous post. And millet, though it sounds kind of medieval, is a cereal grass high in fiber and magnesium. Hemp seeds, besides just sounding cool, are a little known nutrition wonder-seed that contain all nine essential amino acids and all essential fatty acids and are a great source of protein and calcium. (You can find hemp seeds in the refrigerated probiotics section of your health food store, alongside the flax seed oil). Brazil nuts are lauded for their high selenium content, making them a complete protein and with a great anti-oxidant content (they also a good source of zinc, which promotes digestion, metabolism, and immune function). Coconut oil is incredibly high in lauric acid, which also boosts metabolism and immune function. And so on, and so forth.
Now, if you want to make granola but are discouraged by all the fancy ingredients, rest assured that this recipe is incredibly malleable. Simply substitute more of one ingredient for the ones you don’t have, and feel free to use different kinds of grains, nuts, seeds, or dried fruits. Think of this as merely a template.
This recipe makes quite a large batch. Unfortunately, in the height of my granola zeal I starting giving it away (and eating it!) before I remembered to measure it. But the good news is that it should keep for up to several weeks in air-tight containers. If you are hesitant, simply half the quantities.
My favorite way to enjoy the granola is with a little bit of cool soy milk, like a cereal. But it can also be sprinkled on oatmeal or soy yogurt with fresh fruit — or nibbled on plain and dry.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups millet
- 1/2 cup wheat bran
- 1 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup hemp seeds
- 2/3 cup spelt flour
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups of chopped nuts (I used walnuts, hazlenuts & brazil nuts)
- the rind (peel) of 2 oranges or 3 to 4 clementines
- 4 inch chunk of ginger root
- 2 heaping tsp cinnamon
- 1 heaping tsp ground clove
- 1 heaping tsp allspice
- 1 heaping tsp cardamom
- 1 cup maple syrup (maybe more if needed)
- 1/4 coconut oil (maybe more if needed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried fruit (or more, if desired; I used figs, raisins, apricots and cherries
To make:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a food processor, grind up the orange/or clementine peels and the ginger root.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients from oats through cardamom, and stir until everything is well incorporated. You may need to use your fingers to break up clumps of the ginger and orange peel.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and coconut oil with one cup of warm water.
- Pour the liquid ingredients over the solid ones and stir until well-combined.
- Bake the granola on well-oiled pans or in shallow baking dishes until it turns golden brown (this took about an hour for me, but could vary). Make sure to stir every 15 minutes or so to prevent burning, break up chunks, and promote even baking.
- When finished baking, stir in the dried fruits while the granola is still warm. You may wish to add a little extra maple syrup or coconut oil at this time, while the granola is still warm. But it’s not necessary — it will just give the granola a denser, sticker texture.
- Allow the granola to cool and then store in air-tight containers at room temperature.
Mornings are my favorite time of the day for two reasons: yoga and breakfast. The oatmeal you see here is my standard post-yoga breakfast, full of healthy carbs and proteins for refueling and long-lasting energy. Some might find it a bit heavy, but it often functions as both breakfast and lunch for me, depending on my schedule. It can easily be made lighter by cutting back on the nuts and seeds.
Oats are a super-healthy cereal grain with a high fiber content and many other nutrients and anti-oxidants to boot. In fact, the specific kind of fiber contained in oats has been shown to significantly lower cholesterol — and this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the fabulousness of oats. (To read more about the health benefits of oats, check out The World’s Healthiest Foods). A great thing about “my” oatmeal is that it is sweetened naturally and healthfully with fresh banana and dried fruits — no need to load up with the brown sugar or honey.
I pretty much have to eat a banana every day, preferably for breakfast. (There is an old Indian folk saying: “Bananas are gold in the morning, silver in the afternoon, and lead at night.”) Rich in potassium, bananas aid the refueling process for those of us with active lifestyles (they can help to alleviate muscle cramps). Their high carbohydrate content makes them perfect for breakfast. I typically warm or cook my banana in one of a number of methods, as this sweetens it (see below). But fresh banana is, of course, just as good, if not better.
This recipe is just for one. The details may sound complicated and perhaps even bit neurotic-obsessive for a bowl of oatmeal, but let me assure you that I’ve been perfecting my oatmeal for months now and this version represents what I’ve determined to be the best.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 C soy milk
- 1 banana
- 2 dried figs, chopped
- 1 heaping T dried blueberries
- 2 T raw nuts of your choice (my go-to’s are cashews, almonds, hazlenuts or pecans)
- 1 T raw seeds o your choice (e.g., sunflower or pumpkin)
- 1/2 T nut butter of your choice (cashew butter is my absolute favorite, but peanut butter, almond butter, or pecan butter work well too).
- pinch of salt
- cinnamon to taste
To make:
- First, make a decision about the banana. I you want to enjoy it fresh atop your oatmeal, then disregard this step and move onto #2. I like to heat the banana in my beloved cast-iron grill pan. I simply cut the banana in four (once lengthwise, once crosswise) and spray each side with canola oil. Then I grill at medium-high heat until the banana is slightly softened, but still somewhat firm (flipping them with a spatula halfway). I also usually cover the grill pan for an added steaming efect. This method works best with bananas that are still yellow (not many brown spots). Alternatively, you can chop up the banana in bitesized pieces and let it cook with the oats. This imparts a nice creamy-sweet quality to the oatmeal, and works especially great if your bananas are really ripe (or if you are in a hurry).
- Place in a small saucepan 1/2 cup water, 1/2 C of the soymilk, the oats, a pinch of salt, the dried blueberries, and the dried figs (and also the banana pieces, if you are using the second aforementioned method). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a medium-low and let cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the oatmeal has a creamy consistency.
- Meanwhile, toast the nuts and seeds in a skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium high heat. You can use a dry skillet, but I typically add just a drop or two of canola oil. Also, allow the nuts to toast for a few minutes before adding the seeds, as the seeds will brown and pop quickly.
- Pour the oatmeal into a bowl. Add the nuts, seeds, and banana, and then top with nut butter, cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup of soymilk.
Recent Comments