Food Friday: My Favourite Granola

Granola and yogurt never gets old for me! At least not these days. I have made variations of granola over the years but I keep coming back to this recipe adapted from Oh She Glows. It is crunchy from both the large coconut flakes and the liquid used, and a little sweet. You can make it all nut-free if you use sunflower seed butter but I usually switch between creamy cashew butter (if I have some) or almond butter for a little nutty flavour. It smells delicious also!

If you are dairy free there are a few options for dairy free yogurt you can find in Nova Scotia, I like the Silk brand the best. There are more options elsewhere I’m sure! For added protein in the morning I suggest plain greek yogurt, either 2% or for extra creamy 5%! Otherwise Costco has great plain 2% yogurt. Please don’t shy away from the fat in yogurt. It is the sugar we want to avoid in flavoured yogurt. My recommendations when buying yogurt are: 1 - make sure you aren’t sensitive to dairy. 2 - buy plain yogurt and then just add a little bit of sweetness if needed from either your granola, a little pure honey/maple syrup, or 1 tsp of jam. That way you know how much sugar you are eating. 3 - Buy at least 2% instead of steering clear of fat, as this will keep you full for longer. Recent studies have shown that full-fat dairy lowered the risk of being overweight or obese by 8 percent (1), it does not increase your risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease (2), it also reduces the risk of diabetes. That said, dairy has been eliminated from the Canada Food Guide as a food category so please only eat it if you are not sensitive to it, otherwise it causes inflammation in your body, and in limited amounts.

*this post should be sponsored by Costco as you’ll see :)

My Favourite Granola:

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups unsweetened coconut flakes (I use Bob’s Red Mill brand from Organic Earth Market)

• 2 cups rolled oats

• 3/4 cups raw pumpkin seeds

• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

• 1/2 cup hemp hearts (I get mine at Costco)

• 1 tbsp coconut/cane sugar

• 1.5 tsp cinnamon (again I get mine at Costco since I use cinnamon a lot)

• 1/2 tsp sea salt (Costco)

• 1/3 cup coconut oil (Costco!)

• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (Costco!)

• 2 tbsp almond/cashew butter (almond butter from Costco)

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (Costco…you get the idea now!)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut flakes, oats, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Change up any of the seeds to your favourite nuts if you like.

3. In a small pot, melt the coconut oil, and add maple syrup and almond butter. Stir to combine. Remove from the stove and mix in the vanilla extract.

4. Pour the liquid mixture onto the dry mixture and stir to combine. Spread the granola over the prepared baking sheet evenly.

5. Bake for 15 minutes then remove and stir. Bake for another 13 minutes, or until the granola is just starting to turn a bit golden. Remove and let sit to cool for about 1 hour. This will allow the granola to harden in crunchy chunks, which I love!

6. Store the granola in a glass jar (I got mine from the dollar store I believe). Serve with a little plain or greek yogurt, sliced banana or fresh berries. Delicious!

   *Hint - I mix in my Cultured Coconut Kefir and 1 scoop of Sproos collagen to my yogurt before adding the granola to ensure I get my supplements for gut and skin health. :)

Do you have a favourite granola recipe? I’d love to hear!

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

Food Friday: Carrot Quinoa Breakfast Cookies

I think I may be a snack monster! "I'm hungry" may be the phrase I say the most ;) This is probably because I am not balancing my blood sugar effectively that day, simply out of habit or I just enjoy food too much! 

These cookies do the trick for me when I am in that state of mind and my stomach is grumbling. I love freezing them and grabbing one as needed. They are packed full of nutrients from the carrots, quinoa and oats, fat from almond butter and nuts, coconut oil and flax, protein from almond butter/nuts and fibre from whole grains and flax. I see no wrong! (Unless you are on a paleo diet unfortunately.) Remember fat, fibre and protein is what keeps you full for longer and balances your blood sugar. I posted the link to these awhile ago on FB but considering I keep coming back to them I wanted them handy for both you and me. :) 

Depending on how runny my almond butter is, the cookies can be pretty wet before cooking or dry. I add a little more quinoa or oats if it looks too wet, which keeps them from crumbling. If you can eat eggs you may want to try them with 1-2 eggs instead of the flax mixture however I haven't done this yet. The recipe has several ingredients but I find they are a cinch to throw together if you have cooked the quinoa the night before (use the rest in a buddha bowl or salad). Thanks www.loveandlemons.com!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour (made from 1¼ cups whole rolled oats ground in a blender - eg vitamix)
• 1 cup (additional) whole rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2-3/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup finely shredded carrots
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 5 tbsp warm water (set aside for 5 minutes)
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup nuts and/or seeds (I used walnuts & pumpkin seeds; pecans could be great)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a glass, combine the flaxseed and warm water and set aside to thicken for about 5 minutes.
3. Use a food processor or a blender to process the 1¼ cups rolled oats into a fine flour and measure out one level cup. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, the remaining 1 cup whole oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt. Add in the quinoa and then the shredded carrots, stirring until the carrots are completely coated with flour.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup and stir well to incorporate. Stir in the flaxseed mixture.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and fold in just until combined. Stir in the walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries.
6. Scoop just under ¼ cup of batter for each cookie onto the baking sheet. (I have used 1/4 cup and they come out pretty big - which I like.) Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
7. When cookies are completely cool, they can be stored in an airtight container or frozen.

Let me know what you think or if you have any adaptations you like!

In health & happiness, 

Dr. Karen