A bowl of granola is a great way to start the day. But often, prepared granolas have a lot of sugar, maple syrup, or agave in them. Granola can be out of reach if you’re living a sugar- free or reduced sugar life. This recipe uses monkfruit sweetener (zero-calorie and zero-glycemic). It’s made with a mix of oats, coconut chips, almonds, pecans, and dried strawberries, stuck together with sunflower butter and soaked flaxseeds. It’s also gluten-free and vegan! This granola goes really well with no-sugar-added yogurt and fresh fruit (or, if you’re feeling luxurious, Lily’s chocolate chips!).
On the Ingredients
- Oats are generally considered a very healthy grain. They are highly nutritious, with lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They’re a good source of carbohydrates and fiber, including beta-glucan, the special fiber responsible for oatmeal’s famous heart-healthy reputation. Beta-glucan is also good for reducing blood sugar and improving insulin sensitivity. It is highly digestible and sticks to your ribs! Oats are naturally gluten-free but are often milled around other grains, which may cause cross-contamination. The bulk department has “gluten-free oats,” which have been processed in a gluten-free facility, so if you’re gluten-sensitive, you should stick to this kind. (More on the health benefits).
- Coconuts are the seed of the coconut palm. They have four main food products: coconut meat, coconut oil, coconut milk, and coconut water. The meat is high in fiber, MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides), and fat. They are high in several minerals, especially manganese and copper. (More on the health benefits).
- Monk fruit sweetener is a natural sugar alternative made from the luohan guo fruit, cultivated in Asia for hundreds of years. Its sweetness comes from mogroside, so it doesn’t affect the body like other sugars. Since it’s sweeter than white sugar, monk fruit sweeteners are often mixed with erythritol, a sugar alcohol. Monk fruit is non-caloric, sugar-free, and doesn’t raise blood sugar. For most people, it tastes the same as sugar, though sweeter, with no aftertaste. Monk fruit may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies in animals and test tubes suggest monk fruit may inhibit cancer cell growth. Though few studies have been conducted, monk fruit has been eaten for hundreds of years in Asia and is used in Chinese medicine. (Read more about monk fruit.)
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
You can use other dehydrated fruits instead or along with strawberries. Banana chips are particularly good!
Strawberry Granola (No-Sugar-Added)
15
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minutesA bowl of granola is a great way to start the day. But often, prepared granolas have a lot of sugar, maple syrup, or agave in them. Granola can be out of reach if you’re living a sugar- free or reduced sugar life. This recipe uses monkfruit sweetener (zero-calorie and zero-glycemic). It’s made with a mix of oats, coconut chips, almonds, pecans, and dried strawberries, stuck together with sunflower butter and soaked flaxseeds. It’s also gluten-free and vegan! This granola goes really well with no-sugar-added yogurt and fresh fruit (or, if you’re feeling luxurious, Lily’s chocolate chips!).
Ingredients
2 tbsp flaxseeds
5 tbsp water
1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oat
1 1/2 coconut chips
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sunflower butter (or almond butter)
1/3 cup monkfruit sweeter
1 cup dried strawberries
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the flaxseeds and water. Let them sit for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the oats, coconut, almonds, pecans, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. When the flaxseeds are done soaking, combine them and their water with the sunflower butter and monkfruit sweetener.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and use your hands to combine, coating all the dry ingredients thoroughly.
- Evenly spread the granola over a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Stir the granola and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove the granola and immediately transfer it to a clean mixing bowl. It might burn from the residual heat if you leave it on the hot cookie sheet.
- Let the granola cool for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the strawberries, breaking any large pieces into a smaller size. Let the granola cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container. Serve with yogurt, or your favorite type of milk, and fresh fruit!
