My Foodie Call

Granola done light.

Recently I was asked if I had a good granola recipe to use as a yogurt topper. Hmm, this takes some thought. For myself, this can sort of turn into a lengthy conversation because honestly??

I am not the biggest advocate for granola.

I used to make granola all of the time, but now kind of steer clear of it. Why?

Gobs of sugar.

While there are plenty of low-fat options out there, most of these have too much sugar and hardly make the benefits of granola worth it. Why do people feel like granola is healthy? Well, look at the nickname that earthy-type eaters are given: “Granola”.  

“Oh, she’s so Granola….”

This nickname implies to a person that lives off the land, wears Birkenstocks and is the picture of health, right?

But in reality, granola is just not that good for you. Too much sugar. The health benes from granola are really in the oats and nuts, so why not just eat those? It is in fact these same oats and nuts that provide the fiber that consumers are searching for.

Fiber= good. Loads of sugar=bad.

Again, not worth it.

It is for this reason that I tend to lean towards straight up “cereal” as a topping for yogurts. For example, good old-fashioned Cheerios, has 3 grams fiber and only 1 gram of sugar for a whole cup (and 100 calories). Yes, Cheerios can be a tad boring,but still, you get a whole cup of it.

If you do want to go the granola route, this is what I sometimes will buy.

Yes it is low in sugar, but here is the deal.

4 grams of sugar, 120 calories for ONLY 1/4 cup.

Translation. BARELY ANY. So it is up to you which you would prefer. 8 oz of Cheerios (1 gram sugar) on top of your yogurt or 2 oz of Bare Naked Granola (4 grams sugar).

For me? I am all about quantity. I’d rather eat more.

This granola question did get me motivated to make granola again. I did sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, and CHIA (of course). And I think it turned out pretty good, if you want to give it a shot too.

Check it out.

Here is my dry ingredients.

And the wet.

Mix the two.

Spread on a prepared baking sheet. Bake. Make your house smell crazy good.

Top it. A low-sugar granola.

Low-Sugar Almond Chia Granola

• 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cups of sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds (optional: food processor them for less crunch)
• 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla
• 3/4 cups of no-sugar-added applesauce
• 2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to the dry and blend.
5. Add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil if it seems a bit too dry.
6. Spread the granola on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
7. Bake the granola in the oven for 45 minutes, mixing up the granola blend every ten minutes.
8. Taking baking sheet out, lower heat to 200.
9. Drizzle 1 tablespoon honey over the top and stir.
10. Bake for another 25 minutes, stirring midway.
11. When you’re done, let the granola cool before storing.
12. You could add raisins or cranberries to the mixture when cooled, but if you are truly trying to follow a low-sugar diet, you should skip it because it is good stuff that way it is!

Granola done light.