I don’t know about you, but when it comes to Granola, I’m a bit of a sucker for it. I love it for breakfast, will also have it for an evening snack or even for a post workout fuel up if I need something in a hurry. The main issue, if you have it fairly regularly is that it can be very calorific and FULL of sugar. This is the reason I wanted to come up with my own recipe, so I know exactly what is in it. The options and flavours are endless but I went with Nut, Sesame and Quinoa to minimise the sweetness and maximise nutrient content.

Good or bad?

Granola will always be fairly high in calories, but if it is also full of nutrients rather than just empty calories, then it can be beneficial as well as darn tasty! When you go to the shop and pick up a box of granola, you may look at the back of the box at the nutritional information. It will probably tell you it contains so many calories per 40g-50g, which is a serving…..apparently! Now I’m not sure if you’ve ever weighed out 40g of granola, it definitely isn’t a serving. If something is calorific it doesn’t necessarily make it “unhealthy”. It is about being aware of what you are eating, what the food contains and is it going to provide benefit to us.

All about the balance

Obviously, if you’re the type of person that only has the occasional bowl, then it is not really going to hurt you too much if it’s not that beneficial for you or high in calories. But if you’re are somebody like me, that once they buy a bag, usually have it finished within a few days, then maybe it’s time to look at better alternatives. Like anything in life, moderation is key and they say variety is the spice of life, so we definitely should be switching things up regularly. If anything, this recipe is a great one to do and have it on standby, just in case you need something in a hurry.

Playtime

Like I previously mentioned, the possibilities are endless when it comes to making up your own granola. This is the time to play around, experiment and try new things. Buying things in bulk like seeds, nuts, dried fruit, oats etc ends up being a much cheaper way of doing things also. I have split the recipe up into two main sections, the base recipe and the additional ingredients. This way, you can always make the base recipe and add the ingredients that you really love.

Nut, Sesame and Quinoa Granola

Ingredients

Approximately 11 portions (80g serving) 368k/cals, 39g Carbohydrates (12g sugar), 11g Protein, 17g Fat (4g Saturated), 5g Fibre

• 300g Oats
• ½ cup of Sesame seeds
• 1 cup of Quinoa (uncooked)
• ½ cup of Mixed Nuts
• 125ml Maple Syrup
• 2 tablespoons of Sesame Oil
• ½ cup of Desiccated Coconut
• ½ cup of Pumpkin Seeds
• ¼ cup of dried fruit

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°c fan. Mix the Oats, Sesame Oil and Maple Syrup together.
2. Spread the mix out onto a tray/a couple of trays and bang in the oven.
3. Place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until the oats have dried and gone crunchy. If you need to leave in the oven for a little bit longer then do so.
4. Bring out of the oven, place in a bowl, throw in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
5. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

Mix it up

Like I mentioned before, there are endless options for flavours. Rather than using desiccated coconut, why not use flaked coconut. You could substitute sesame seeds for blue poppy seeds or even black sesame seeds. Use chopped dates for added sweetness and fibre or change up the dried fruit.

I really hope you give this recipe a go. As always, thank you for stopping by and taking a look. Come and check out The Urban Canteen on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter & Youtube for more inspiration. I love hearing from you guys, so leave a comment here or on any other social media platforms and I’ll be sure to get back to you.