Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe: Gluten free

Are you looking for a delicious breakfast or dessert that you can fully enjoy because you know that it’s good for you? One of my all time favourite foods is fresh granola with whole milk yogurt and local berries – healthy eating at its best!

Store bought varieties of granola are expensive and a far cry from being healthy. They contain rancid nuts and seeds, refined sugars and unhealthy fats. Luckily it’s really easy and affordable to make your own, with good quality ingredients! Before we move on to the recipe let’s take a moment to look at the key ingredients:

Oats – Shown to help lower high cholesterol and help prevent heart disease and diabetes. Oats are also a good source of manganese, selenium, vitamin B1, dietary fiber, magnesium, protein and phosphorus. If you have Celiac Disease you’ll need to purchase certified gluten-free oats.

Unrefined Sea Salt – When naturally harvested and dried in the sun, high quality unrefined sea salt contains a wealth of trace minerals and electrolytes that are vital for a variety of functions in the body including the immune system, adrenal and thyroid function.

Non-Irradiated Cinnamon – Slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. Purchase non-irradiated spices to ensure that you’re benefiting from the nutritional qualities of the herb or spice.

Raw Honey – Healthy alternative to refined sugar. Contains live enzymes that aid in the digestion of carbohydrates.

Virgin (Unrefined) Coconut Oil – The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are directly absorbed for quick energy instead of being stored as fat in the body. This heart healthy oil is a saturated fat, which is highly stable and does not go rancid easily even when heated during cooking. This makes it one of the safest and healthiest oils to use in your kitchen.

Nuts/Seeds – Purchase raw and unsalted nuts and seeds. Adding them to your granola after toasting ensures that the heat sensitive oils retain all their health benefits.

Dried Fruit – Purchase unsweetened and unsulphured dried fruit.

Ingredients:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (or certified gluten-free rolled oats)

¼ tsp unrefined sea salt

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ cup raw honey

¼ cup virgin coconut oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a small bowl, stir together honey, coconut oil and vanilla. (If your coconut oil is solid at room temperature you can place the bowl on top of your warm stove to melt the coconut oil while you prepare the oat mixture.)

3. In a large bowl, stir together oats, salt and cinnamon.

4. Combine the oat and honey mixture and combine thoroughly, using your hands to coat the oats evenly with the honey mixture.

5. Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.

6. Bake, stirring after 15 minutes, until the granola is very light golden brown. It should take 20-30 minutes in total. You can bake it a little longer for a crunchier, toastier flavour but keep a close eye on it – if it gets dark it will taste burnt.

7. Cool the granola completely. It will harden as it cools.

8. Once the granola’s cool, get creative! Now is the time to stir in all your extras…

Here are some of my favourite combinations:

• Honey Nut – chopped almonds, cashews and pumpkin seeds
• Apple Cinnamon – dried apples, almonds and raisins
• Tropical – shredded coconut, goji berries and macadamia nuts
• Mixed Seed – pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds

Store in an airtight container and eat within two weeks.

Happy Eating!