Chocolate Granola {gluten free} … the granola that changed my life!
Deeba @ PAB
“Sometimes you don’t need a goal in life, you don’t need to know the big picture. you just need to know what you’re going to do next!”
Sophie Kinsella
It was a recipe that changed my view on breakfast, and my life as far as the teen daughter goes. The son has never been a problem with breakfast. In fact, much to my horror, he sees it as a 3 course meal. Begins with a glass of milk, next munches happily through a hot house egg{thanks to Roald Dahl}, then makes himself comfortable with a bowl of cereal! For her, it’s only a glass of milk and maybe the odd omelet. ‘I’m on a DIET’, she whines, and doesn’t eat! The lad is forever hungry & happily eats whatever is on offer. She can be heard scrabbling in the kitchen from time to time, “I need FOOD, I’m HUNGRY, but I’m on a diet, so can’t eat!”. I often battle her over breakfast where she would rather go hungry than eat a healthy breakfast. That was about to change. She draws for hours together, art her favourite subject in school, and then emerges from her ‘den’ ravenous! That black & white art-work above is a paper bag she recently designed for a project in school. Took her four hours to complete it … then the hunger pangs hit!I’ve made granola bars before, yet I never imagined this recipe would hit such a high note with her! The mister has muesli for breakfast every morning, and that day the box lay empty. The brand I normally buy wasn’t in stock, so I was quite cheesed off. Began surfing for muesli recipes that morning… I am glad I stopped by Bea’s gorgeous La Tartine Gourmande. Canelle et Vanille had a story on Aran’s little M and Bea’s little Lulu. It’s been an amazing journey following the 2 babies, from when they were born, to milestones along the way, their first foods, often cross connections on these 2 beautiful blogs. I love the way some foodblogs I follow create a connect with the journey of their life with food as a base …I followed Aran’s story over to Bea’s, and halted in my tracks. Breakfast couldn’t get easier than this.
Both granola and muesli contain a mixture of grains (such as oats), nuts, dried fruit and sometimes bran and wheat germ. Muesli may contain sugar and dried-milk solids, but it can be unsweetened. Granola is typically toasted with honey and oil, resulting in a crisp texture and sweet glaze not found in muesli. Because granola contains the addition of honey and oil, it tends to have a higher sugar and fat content. As a result, granola is, on average, higher in calories than muesli. Both granola and muesli offer nutritional benefits. Both have fiber from the grains, fruits and nuts. In addition, the dried fruits provide antioxidants, while the nuts offer healthy fats. Topping either muesli or granola with low-fat milk, soy milk or yogurt makes for a nutritionally balanced, filling breakfast. Most people do not realize that muesli and granola are fairly easy to make at home. Making homemade muesli or granola allows you to choose your favorite ingredients and avoid those you do not care for. Homemade muesli is particularly simple since you only toss together the desired ingredients. While granola requires toasting, making it at home allows you to limit the amount of sugar and oil added, thus creating a healthier granola. {Source: livestrong.com}
Gave it a shot with the ingredients I had on hand. How healthy can healthy get, and how delicious can healthy get? Try it for yourself. It’s five minutes to deliciousness and gluten free too! 2 minutes to put the pan on a simmer, a minute to get the dry stuff together, 30 seconds to toss the dry with the wet, another 30 to spread it out. Open door, pop in tray… there done! Visit the oven every 15 minutes to move the stuff around for even baking, make sure the bottom isn’t getting over browned, keep an eye towards the end. The delicious pairing won the teen over that afternoon. The closest she’ll come to granola is a bar. ‘This isn’t a bar,’ she nonchalantly declared, yet gave the chocolate an interested gaze. I offered it to her with a teeny drizzle of low fat cream, really teeny. ‘This is GOOD’, she exclaimed. Next morning, I was on the phone and she walked in with the box in her hand. ‘I’m having some. Can you make some more?’
I could have danced on the ceiling. ‘OK, if you like, but go slow on the cream‘. By now the son’s curiosity was bubbling over. ‘I’m hungry‘, he decided as the temptation was far too much for him. That was the end of box number one. I’ve made another 2 lots in the last week, and another this morning. Easy as can be, healthy beyond belief, and addictive as a snack anytime of the day. I put together some parfaits using the granola with left over quark cream and strawberries from this Strawberry Meringue Chocolate Layer Cake. The possibilities are endless. Thank you Bea for such a tempting good post.
[print_this]Chocolate granola adapted minimally from Bea @ La Tartine Gourmande {Makes 4.5 cups}
3 1/2 cups rolled oats {I use Quaker oats}
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water
1 vanilla bean scraped, or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips Method:
Preheat the oven to 150C and have a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper ready.
In a small pot, combine the water, honey, sugar, butter {or use a vegetable oil if you prefer}, salt and vanilla bean / vanilla extract. Bring to a simmer and let cook until the sugar is dissolved.
In a large bowl, combine the other ingredients minus the chocolate. Stir in the liquid to the dry ingredients.
Transfer the granola mixture to the baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon a few times to make sure that the granola cooks evenly. Let cool completely.
Transfer to a air-tight container and add the chocolate. Enjoy with plain yogurt or any type of milk of your choice.
Note: Gluten free eaters should be sure to get labeled “gluten free” oats, as regular oats like Quaker are not gluten free since they are produced on a line with wheat flour.
