skinny fruit and nut granola
Hooray for another fun DIY recipe! I have to admit that I've tried to make granola more than once, and have never really succeeded, which is a total shame. Granola is one of my favorite breakfasts, especially paired with some greek yogurt and fresh fruit! I was so excited when I found this recipe because 1) it looked (and was!) super easy to make, and 2) it had much less fat than a traditional granola recipe, since there is no oil! I'm definitely not a stickler for making everything low fat, but I'd much rather save my fat calories for an awesome dessert as opposed to my breakfast cereal. :)
This granola recipe is a perfect starting point for any number of variations. I think any variety of dried fruit or nuts would be delicious, and you could healthify it even more by throwing in some flax seed. (I would have done that but I didn't realize I had flax seed until it was too late...) I love that the syrup is so simple and easy to make, and the flavor from the cinnamon and vanilla is amazing! Abby has declared this her new favorite breakfast, and I have to agree. Yum!
Skinny Fruit and Nut Granola
adapted from Cooking Classy
4 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 300. In a large bowl, toss together oats, almonds, pecans, and coconut. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together brown sugar, honey, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and let boil for one minute. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and baking soda, until the mixture is foamy. Pour over oat mixture and toss until evenly coated. Spread the mixture in a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 25-30 minutes, tossing the mixture after 10-12 minutes so it will brown evenly. Remove from oven when lightly golden brown and toss with raisins. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
Read more..