Tasty Bites: Ginger Spice Granola

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

Granola can be healthy or it can be full of sugar and fat. Just because the base ingredient is oats, it doesn’t mean it’s always healthy. I think I may have mentioned label-reading here a time or two! There are a lot of healthy brands out there, and they are delicious. But there’s one downfall – the price.

I use quite a bit of granola in my Power Bar recipe and love the crunch it lends to yogurt. If you need a quick meal to go, throw a handful of granola into a cup of yogurt for the healthy carbs and lean protein you need for energy. I also carry a zip-lock bag of it when going on a long bike ride in case I run out of gas.

This is a basic recipe, and as usual, I’ve never made it the same way twice. You can use different fruit juice, any nuts or dried fruit you want, and any combination of spices. You can switch up the honey with maple syrup or agave nectar. I buy the oats at the “stores with cement floors” and it makes homemade granola a real bargain. Full of healthy whole grains, omega-3 fats from the nuts, and antioxidants from the fruit, you just can’t go wrong.

Ginger Spice Granola

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup quick cooking oats

¼ cup flax seed, ground

¼ cup oat bran

½ cup unsalted almonds,  rough chop

½ cup cashews -- broken

½ cup macadamia nuts -- chopped

½ cup coconut flakes (I use unsulfured coconut)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

1 egg white

¼ cup water

¼ cup white grape juice

¼ cup plus 2 T honey

pinch sea salt

¼ cup crystallized ginger, chopped

¼ cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Be sure to use a metal pan (I use a jelly roll pan, or line a glass pan with foil). Mix dry ingredients (oats through spices) in a large mixing bowl, combining thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, whisk the liquid ingredients and sea salt together until frothy. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until everything is well-coated.

Place mixture in pan. Bake for 30 min, stir, then bake another 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and then stir in raisins and crystallized ginger. Eat. Sneak. Repeat.

Allow to cool at room temperature. Store any leftovers in refrigerator or freezer.

Candy Steele is a registered nurse who has worked with cardiac patients for over thirty years. “Functional foods” have become her passion, and she enjoys sharing her love of cooking, a random life and a faithful Jesus with her friends at Steele (the Day). She is blessed with three grown children, a new daughter-in-law, and a kind and patient husband who only knows how to fix popcorn (but she’s OK with that).

Comments

[Wendy]

Okay, why both old fashioned and quick oats? Yes, this kind of thing keeps me up at night.

[Candy]

I wondered that too, Wendy. I think what it does is give the granola different textures. The old fashioned oats get crisp and the others have a little chew to them. I tried to dissect that once I made it, but had trouble telling the oats apart. Then I got so distracted I forgot to post this on my own blog (yes, I have a blog).

Don't loose sleep over it, really. So many other things to lose sleep over, like "how much is a pinch of salt?"