Tag: Granola

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Maple Cinnamon Grain-Free Granola

Grain-Free Granola by My New Roots

Cruising the health food store a few months back, I happened upon a bag of locally made, grain-free granola that really spoke to me. Something about its un-designed packaging, its minimalistic ingredients and flagrant chunks flirting with me through the cellophane window, begged me to take it home. The $ 15 price tag begged me to leave it on the shelf. So I went and perused the tea section, while spiritually distracted by the promise of crunchy sunflower seed clusters and juicy raisins. I went back. I picked up the bag and walked swiftly to the cash register so that I wouldn’t change my mind on the way there. I bought it, ran home, tore open that bag and sat gorging myself on handful after handful of total luxury granola bliss. I did again the next week. And the following week too. It took about five rounds of $ 15 granola before I realized, firstly, how insane it was that I, Sarah Britton, would spend such a preposterous amount of money on something like breakfast cereal, and second, that I wouldn’t just figure out how to make it myself.

Grain-Free Granola by My New Roots

Grain-free granola is nothing new, but nothing I’d ever tried making before since I love grains so very much. But as I tend to enjoy grain-centric breakfasts, pouring a bunch of mostly-oat granola on top of mostly-oat porridge seemed like oat overkill, ya know? It didn’t take long to perfect this recipe and secure its place as a rotating staple in my household. I eat it on all kinds of things besides porridge too. It’s great on top of chia pudding, smoothie bowls, chopped fruit, coconut yogurt, waffles and pancakes, and ice cream (the healthy kind, of course). And like all other granolas, this stuff is pretty addictive. I’m warning you.

Grain-Free Granola by My New Roots

This recipe is excitingly versatile, so don’t get too caught up on the ingredients themselves – instead think of them as inspiration. If you’re allergic to nuts, or you simply want to cut down on the cost of this recipe, simply swap out the nuts for more seeds. You can also replace the coconut if you’re so inclined, use another spice instead of cinnamon, honey instead of maple syrup…you get the idea. Just make sure that whatever you choose to alter is substituted with the same amount of something else. If you dig dried fruit, chop up a bunch and add it to the mix after it’s cooled down. Apricots, figs, mulberries, and raisins are some of my favourites with this mix.   

Grain-Free Granola by My New Roots

Maple Cinnamon Grain-free Granola
Makes 8 cups / 2 liters

Ingredients:
2 cups / 275g raw nuts (I used almonds and hazelnuts)
2 cups / 250g raw, shelled sunflower seeds
1 cup / 80g unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 cup / 60g large flaked coconut
3 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
¾ tsp. fine sea salt
1/3 cup / 80ml expeller-pressed coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup / 80ml maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 300°F / 150°C. Line two rimmed baking sheets with baking paper.

2. Add the nuts to your food processor and pulse to roughly chop. Add sunflower seeds and pulse to chop, until all nuts and seeds are about the same size. If you don’t have a food processor, this step can be done by hand.

3. Place chopped nuts and seeds in a large mixing bowl. Combine the coconut, chia seeds, cinnamon, salt. Pour in the coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Mix well to coat. Divide the mixture in half and spread out evenly onto the lined baking sheets (you can do this on one baking sheet if that is all you have, but in my experience it cooks more evenly with two).

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring a couple times from the 15-minute mark. The granola is ready when it is golden and fragrant. It will crisp up outside the oven as it cools.

5. Store fully-cooled granola in an airtight glass container at room temperature for up to one month.   

 

This recipe was included in my online video series, Healthy Kickstart, that I produced with my friends over at Cody! If you’d like to see me making this recipe in the flesh, and the many other breakfast delights (such as the Grab-and-Go Carrot Bread below), click here. I had such a blast with this series, as I feel passionate about helping you to create mornings that are as delicious, vibrant and easy as possible! I hope you all enjoy.

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Deep gratitude for all of your ongoing support of My New Roots!

In light,
Sarah B

Show me your Maple Cinnamon Grain-free Granola on Instagram: #MNRgrainfreegranola

The post Maple Cinnamon Grain-Free Granola appeared first on My New Roots.


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Savoury Buckwheat Granola

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Say hello to your salad’s new best friend. This jar of mustardy granola has become a total game-changer in our kitchen. And if you are like us and often mix leftovers into quick salad bowls, you are soon going to realize its potential. The granola has the most delicious flavour and adds a superb crunch to all types of salads. We don’t see this as a salad topping but instead a filler that you can use instead of cooking a batch of rice, quinoa or millet or whatever you normally use to make something simple and green into a more substantial meal. The granola is also great with soups (perfect for gazpacho!) and on top of grilled feta cheese or on a savory yogurt bowl. There are doubtless lots of other uses that we haven’t tried yet, but we surely will during the summer.

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Savory granola might not be an entirely new concept, but it is a great one. And this recipe is a real winner with tones of mustard, orange zest, thyme and rosemary. It also has an incredible crunch from buckwheat groats, nuts, seeds, rolled rye and oats. So give yourself 10 minutes to mix the ingredients together, shove it in the oven and then use it on almost anything. You can thank us later

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To help you get started, we are also sharing a quick little baked feta cheese recipe and a crunchy green salad which both are optimal paired with the granola. The feta cheese is almost too simple. Bake a block of feta cheese for 10 minutes on 200°C / 400°F, then switch up the temperature to max and turn on the broiler for just a few minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, fresh herbs and a generous sprinkle of savoury granola. We usually serve the cheese as a side dish to share on the table. An extra drizzle of honey will make it even more special.

The salad is a bit of a mash-up between a salad and a slaw. Thinly sliced vegetables and pears are mixed with lettuce, drizzled with a yogurt dressing and then covered in granola. Win!

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Savoury Granola – Salad’s Best Friend
Makes 4 cups / 1 litre
You can of course add or replace any of the seeds, nuts or flakes with what you have in your pantry. If you are looking for a slightly lighter granola you can replace some of the oil with water. Dry spices could also be added instead of the fresh herbs.
Dressing: 
1/2 cup / 125 ml olive oil
2 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
zest from 1 orange 
1-2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme (leaves only)
1-2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (leaves only) 
salt and pepper 
Dry ingredients: 
1 cup / 100 g rolled rye flakes (or just oats, if you are sensitive to gluten)
1 cup / 100 g rolled oats
1/2 cup buckwheat groats 
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds 
1/2 cup sunflower seeds 
1/2 cup hazelnuts
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl. Use you hands or a spatula to toss the dry ingredients in the dressing until all is coated. Bake for about 20 minutes or until crunchy and golden, stirring the granola halfway through to prevent it from burning. We usually add some extra herbs after it is baked but this is of course optional. Store in an air-tight jar in room temperature for up to 4 weeks.
Fennel and Pear Salad with yogurt dressing
Serves 4
1 butter lettuce, leaves gently torn
1 cucumber, sliced into rounds
1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced 
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 romanesco or broccoli, thinly sliced
2 pears, thinly sliced 
2 tbsp olive oil 
Yogurt dressing
3/4 cup / 20o ml yogurt
10 basil leaves, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juice
a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper
Prepare all the salad ingredients and place them in a large salad bowl. It’s easiest to use a mandolin to get thin slices. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Stir together the yogurt dressing in a small bowl. Serve the salad on 4 plates, drizzle with yogurt and top with a generous scoop of granola.

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PS. In case anyone is wondering, the salad plate was a real bargain from a local ceramicist. Apparently it’s a bit uneven so we almost got it for free. A tip is to always ask for their “damaged goods” if you want unique pieces and are on a budget. The apron is from Stone Cold Fox. 

Green Kitchen Stories

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Quinoa Granola

Maple quinoa granola with yogurt | http://naturallyella.com

| Disclosure: This recipe was created for Ancient Harvest. See below for more details. |

Quinoa Flakes | http://naturallyella.comMaple Almond Quinoa Granola | http://naturallyella.com

For most meals, I like a bit of unpredictability. My lunches are usually off the cuff with whatever I have in the house while my dinners are a bit more planned, but are still usually a trial run or test of a recipe I’m working on. Breakfast, however, is my constant. 95% of the time, it’s oatmeal, eggs, or granola + yogurt with the other 5% reserved for waffles, pancakes, and other rich breakfast foods. Breakfast is very predictable.

I do, however, like to mix things up a bit. My oatmeal toppings vary depending on what’s in season and eggs could take the form of an omelette or egg skillet. My granola is rarely made from just oats and more likely to contain an mix of grains. Or, it may be made entirely from something else, like this quinoa granola.

I have a different quinoa granola on the blog made from whole quinoa but this particular recipe utilizes quinoa flakes. I’ve used my favorite base granola recipe that contains minimal ingredients but provides enough glue to hold everything together. This quinoa granola isn’t overly powerful in flavor but instead, is a nice boost to a morning parfait or granola bowl.

See the Recipe.

The post Quinoa Granola appeared first on Naturally Ella.

Naturally Ella

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Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Dark Chocolate

Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Chocolate | http://naturallyella.comPeanut Butter Granola Bars | http://naturallyella.comPeanut Butter Bars | http://naturallyella

If there’s one thing that might be apparent, we have a slight addition to peanut butter and chocolate in our household. I’m more of a 3 parts chocolate to one part peanut butter ratio while M is the exact opposite: a lot of peanut butter with just enough chocolate to be noticed.

During pregnancy, these no-bake cookies (minus the espresso) were pretty much my life saver when I was craving something chocolatey. However, I wanted to make something that was a little more easy to keep and freeze (and a bit more along M’s line of acceptable peanut butter to chocolate ratio). These granola bars are a culmination of granola bar recipes of past, no bake cookies, and a rice puff treat from a local co-op that’s base is peanut butter and brown rice syrup. The result is this bar that comes together easily, isn’t overly sweet, and can easily act as a satisfying dessert.

See the Recipe.

The post Peanut Butter Granola Bars with Dark Chocolate appeared first on Naturally Ella.

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Matcha Green Granola Bars

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I have to start off by saying THANK YOU.

I just came back from my cookbook tour in London, which is the very last trip I’m taking until the autumn. Now that I have some time to reflect, I have to say how deeply touched and grateful I am to all of you that have showed your support these past few months. Whether you’ve come out to an event, book signing, cooking class, reposted a recipe on your own blog, sent me a love note, or happy vibes through the ether, I have felt it all and will carry the collective experience with me always. I mean it. I am officially overwhelmed with love.

It’s been a very fulfilling time for me, but if I’m being honest, it’s also been a very challenging one. Being on the road and away from my sweet little family has been hard, despite being surrounded by so much goodness. My workload has also been full-on at the same time, so there hasn’t been much in the way of breaks, or breathing, or looking after myself at all. As someone who is perpetually beating the drum of balance, wellness, and self-love, I am beginning to feel like a hypocrite! And how can I expect to be the best I can be for everyone else if I can’t take care of my precious self?

So in the name of practicing what I preach, I’m introducing My New Roots Summer Lights again – all new delicious, healthy recipes, just without the lengthy article. As it takes an average of 20 hours to create a single blog post, shaving a few off of that will give me some time to regain a little more sanity in my life. And maybe even inspire some of you to do the same.

So. These granola bars. They are really, really yummy. Satisfying in all the ways that count; filling without making you feel full, and a salty-sweet flavor balance to make you feel like you’ve gotten everything you need. Maybe more. I have been relying heavily on these to fill the 11am / 4pm gap, avoid late night bad food decisions, and I’ve mowed down a couple (maybe more) for my personal favourite: breakfast-in-a-taxi/airplane/subway/train. Hey, at least I get to sit down.

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The matcha green tea powder is of course what makes the granola bars green. It has a lovely tea-like flavor (thank you, captain obvious), and a nice little bitter nuance that I dig. But because matcha is a bit of a specialty item that can be hard to find and so darn expensive, the you can of course omit it entirely. Maybe sprinkle in another kind of superfood powder if you have it (lucuma, maca, baobab, raw cacao), cocoa powder, or protein powder, or whatever else you’re in the mood for. The point is, these are flexible and simple, and a great granola bar base recipe for you to play with. Party on.

The brown rice syrup makes the granola bars ooey-gooey, but because it isn’t overly sweet, I poured in a few tablespoons of maple syrup for good measure. If you are not vegan, you could replace the maple syrup with honey, but I wouldn’t replace the rice syrup with honey because then these would be way too sweet. Just sayin’.

If your tahini is unsalted, add a little more salt to the dry ingredients – I promise that you want the salty-sweet thing going on here. And if you have an allergy to sesame, or feel like something different, use another kind of nut or seed butter instead – hazelnut butter would be divine, pumpkin seed butter too, or combo it up, wild cat! 

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Matcha Green Granola Bars
Makes 14 bars

Ingredients:
2 cups / 200g rolled oats, gluten-free if desired
1 cup / 135g pumpkin seeds
1 ½ cups unsweetened puffed rice cereal (rice, millet, quinoa etc.)
½ cup dried fruit (raisins, dates, figs, prunes, goji berries), roughly chopped
¼ tsp. flaky sea salt
1 – 1 ½ Tbsp. matcha green tea powder (to your taste)
1/3 cup / 80ml brown rice syrup
3 Tbsp. / 45 ml maple syrup
½ cup / 125ml tahini
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C. Combine oats and pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the oats are golden and have a nutty aroma.
2. In a small saucepan combine the brown rice syrup, maple syrup, tahini, coconut oil, vanilla. Whisk to combine. Do not overheat.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cooled oats and pumpkin seeds with the chopped dried fruit, rice puffs, salt, and matcha. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir quickly to mix.
4. Pour the mix into a brownie pan lined with plastic wrap or baking paper. Press the mixture firmly, especially into the corners. Place in the fridge for a couple hours to firm up, then remove from fridge and slice into bars. Keep leftovers in the fridge for up two weeks.

So dear friends, I’m wishing you a very healthy, happy summer full of crazy adventures, (responsible) sun-worshipping, belly laughs, and of course, delicious food.

I love you!
xo, Sarah B


My New Roots