Banana Nut Crunch
Makes 10 portions of granola
My daughter was very proud of herself coming up with this name and I promised her I would use it no matter what. And truth be told, I couldn’t come up with a better way to describe the most delicious granola I have ever made, even if i tried! Now I don’t say things like that lightly. I don’t often say “this is the best xxx I’ve ever made” but I can absolutely say that with utter confidence on this occasion. Sweet and crunchy, filled with toasted nuts and juicy dried cherries, this granola is the bees knees. But not only is it the tastiest version I have ever made, it is also one of the healthiest. It has no added sugar whatsoever (not even any honey or maple syrup) and is only naturally sweetened by whizzing up some quick soaked dates and a couple of bananas. But it is certainly sweet enough and my daughter’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she first tried it and realised she was allowed it for breakfast and not just dessert!
One portion provides 359 calories, 10g of plant-based protein and a whopping 8g of fibre. Now those macros are just incomparable with any packaged granola bought in the shops. Especially when you consider it also provides 44% of my daily Vitamin C requirements, making it a great little immune booster too. Serving it with some milk of your choice (I used Oat) and some fresh berries makes it a fabulously wholesome and nourishing way to start the day.
The only downside to this whole granola-making experience was that it only made 10 portions and given that we are a family of 4...you don’t have to be a maths genius to figure out that we ran out of it pretty darn quickly! Next time, I will definitely make a double or triple batch to stop the whines and fights over who should get the last 2 bowls (and that was just between my husband and I!).
Nutty Granola Ingredients
2 Bananas
125g Nut Butter (I used Mindful Bite Cashew & Baobab Butter)
20g Coconut Oil
4 Pitted Medjool Dates
300g Oats
180g Mixed Nuts and Seeds (I used 40g Flaked Almonds, 60g Chopped Walnuts, 40g Pumpkin Seeds and 40g Buckwheat Groats)
100g Dried Fried (I used 30g Goji Berries, 30g Dried Mulberries and 60g Dried Cherries)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
In a small bowl, quick soak the dates in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.
Discard the water and just use the soft dates.
In a high speed blender, add the bananas, dates, nut butter and coconut oil; and blitz until smooth. Add a couple of tbsp of water to thin if necessary.
Weigh the oats, nuts and seeds.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sweet date mixture with the oats, nuts and seeds.
Spread this thinly on to a large roasting tray and pop in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until crispy and golden. Keep on checking and turning it throughout to prevent it from burning.
Once it has cooled, add the dried fruit and store in an airtight jar for a couple of weeks….not that it will even last that long!
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Calories – 359
Protein – 10g
Fat – 15g
Carbohydrates – 47g
Fibre – 8g
Vitamin C – 44%