Isn’t it funny how ‘granola’ and the less formal ‘crunchy’ are still used to describe health nuts, even though I’m pretty sure a bowl of granola and yogurt would be like looking at a vat of red dye #40 for most health-conscious individuals these days. Some health fanatics are vegan, others paleo, bullet proof or gluten-free. Some, I don’t believe to eat anything beyond raw bean sprouts and coconut oil.
Luckily for me, I fall into none of the above categories. Heck, I can’t even successfully eliminate all artificial dyes from my diet, although I do give it a go 97.6% of the time. So what am I? I guess you could say I’m just a food lover who tries to eat things that aren’t created in a lab. Mostly.
Anyway, this Ginger Granola was spurred on by my recent ginger-obsession (28 weeks preggo over here) and most definitely would be considered a healthy treat in my book. It’s great with milk or plain yogurt with a drizzle of maple syrup. Pears, peaches, and even fresh cherries would be an ideal way to cram even more flavor and texture into your bowl.
Just don’t leave out the crystallized ginger. A few pieces are all you need to up the ginger factor to eleven. My favorite source for random shelf-stable health foods is Amazon, because I live in the middle of nowhere and there aren’t any Crunchy Granola stores around these parts. You can follow the links below to shop a few of the specialty ingredients I used.
CRYSTALIZED GINGER
MILLET PUFFS or BROWN RICE PUFFS
COCONUT SUGAR
CHIA SEEDS
But don’t let that scare you away. Most of this can be improvised with stuff you can find at your local grocery store. Even Walmart has coconut sugar these days, although classic brown sugar would work well too. You can substitute the puffed whole grain cereal for another half cup of oats if you prefer and the chia seeds are totally optional. But for Heaven’s sake, don’t forget the ginger!
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This easy, no stir granola is perfectly crunchy and laced with the sweet heat of ginger.
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup puffed millet*
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw pecans
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon of cloves
- 6 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3/4 teaspoons fine salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, cut into tiny pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven with rack positioned in the center to 300 degrees. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together the oats, puffed millet, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter along with the maple syrup and salt. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for one minute, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir well to combine.
- Scrape the entire bowl of granola onto one of the lined baking sheets and spread evenly across the pan. Then, take the second sheet of parchment paper and lay on top of the sticky granola mixture. Next, place the second baking sheet on top of the parchment paper to sandwich the granola.
- Bake the granola in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown.
- Remove the granola, turn off the oven, and allow the oven to cool slightly. Meanwhile, take off the top baking sheet and on top of the second piece of parchment paper, sprinkle the chopped crystallized ginger. Return the granola (now with ginger) to the turned off oven to dry out for a few more hours up to overnight.
Notes
You can substitute the puffed millet with any whole grain puffed cereal, or more oats.
Store granola in an airtight container at room temp for several weeks.
Keywords: easy homemade ginger granola
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