Where I got my inspiration from
A few years ago, when living in Hong Kong, I got into protein smoothie bowls when it was stiflingly hot outside and I wanted something light to eat before my yoga class. A frozen acai ‘power bowl’ hit the spot to cool me off and was enough food to fuel me for a few hours. Once I returned to Australia, these chilled bowls called to once more, and I sought to create a simpler, whole food smoothie bowl, but this time topped with ground flaxseeds for omega-3s and some granola for fibre, protein, and crunch.
But the granola I found in the various stores I explored did not inspire me, as each contained ‘vegetable oil’ in the ingredients list and a lot of sugar. I prefer to avoid added seed oils—they are likely heat damaged, are of unknown source, and add no nutritional value, in my opinion, other than unnecessary calories—so, the only thing for it was to make my own granola!
The following recipe was easy to put together, but if you are more of a raw food fan, you could leave out the puffed millet and dehydrate the mix to get the crunch factor without the heat—this would also help preserve the natural fats in the nuts and seeds. The maple syrup isn’t raw either, but you could substitute some soaked, deseeded, blended dates instead.
The finished granola lives in an airtight container in the fridge (as do all my fresh nuts and seeds to reduce oxidation and keep them fresher for longer). But that said, as this recipe is toasted in the oven, I don’t consider it a source of healthy fats from the nuts and seeds, but I still enjoy the fibre, minerals, protein, and crunch!
Oil-free granola recipe
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups puffed millet
1 cup roughly chopped almonds (leave the skins on)
½ cup coconut flakes
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup pepitas
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla bean essence
1 pinch of ground sea salt (optional)
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup filtered water
¼ cup dried goji berries (add these after the mix comes out of the oven as they burn)
Method
- Heat the oven to 160º C and line a large baking tray with baking paper or a silicon sheet
- Add all the dry ingredients (except the goji berries) to a large bowl and mix to combine
- Add the vanilla essence, maple syrup and water to the bowl and blend to combine
- Tip the damp mixture onto the baking tray and spread it out
- Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, stirring and turning it at the 10-minute mark to toast all sides of the mix (keep an eye on the mixture after the 15-minute mark to ensure it doesn’t burn as all ovens are different)
- Remove the tray and leave it to cool – it will become crunchier during this time
- Stir through the goji berries and add to an airtight container
I use this up within 2 weeks. A serve is 2-3 tablespoons on top of a smoothie bowl (mine is simply some banana, mixed frozen berries and homemade oat milk blended in a Nutribullet), and I add a tablespoon of freshly ground flaxseed, too, for the omega-3 fatty acids and another fibre source to keep my gut bacteria well fed!
Enjoy!
