Not only is this hippie food AWESOME for you, but it's a fine example of how making your own breakfast cereal can save you money and contribute to your good health!
Granola is awesome because you can customize the flavors to your own liking. Add as much fruit as you like. Like nuts? Add those. Wanna change it up a bit? Throw in some carob chips! Or cocoa nibs!This particular granola is a celebration of all things ginger -- with a few cranberries and some cocoa nibs thrown in for good measure. Read the full post, which contains all sorts of fun facts, here: Granola. Real food for real people :)
I'm sneaking this post in at the last minute (past the deadline, really) because I believe in this event. It gets great people together for a great cause -- to spread the word about real food!
If you haven't already, I'd like to invite YOU to participate in Fight Back Fridays -- a celebration of real food. It’s your standard blog carnival, but it’s all about being Food Renegades. Who are the Food Renegades? Well, they’re the adventurous ones — the people who opt out of the industrialized food system, distrust standard nutritional advice, and embrace Real Food.
Read the Guidelines HERE.
©BURP! Where Food Happens
I love granola, but I'm no hippie! I love it mostly on plain, "greek style" whole milk yogurt.
ReplyDeleteYAY for granola!
ReplyDeleteOne thing to be aware of (nutrition-wise) when dealing with grains (oats especially!): have you heard of phytic acid? It's an enzyme inhibitor present in the unsprouted grain that binds to minerals like calcium and magnesium in your gut, preventing your body from absorbing them. For those reasons, it's called an "anti-nutrient," and it renders the grain pretty undigestible to our bodies while simultaneously depleting our bodies of valuable vitamins and minerals.
You can break down the phytic acid by sprouting the grain, fermenting it, or soaking it in an acidic medium overnight (like buttermilk, kefir, yogurt, or water mixed with lemon juice, whey, or vinegar). This is why traditional grain recipes were for things like sourdough breads, buttermilk pancakes or biscuits, etc.
To duplicate that effect for granola, you could just soak the oats overnight before drying them the next day. Then you'd continue with the rest of your recipe like normal.
Sorry for the mini-lecture, but I highly recommend you google the issue!
Thanks for participating in today's Fight Back Fridays and for submitting this recipe. It sounds yummy!
Cheers,
KristenM
(AKA FoodRenegade)
ahh.. although my family is not a big fan of ginger, i think that'd be a great hit with other ginger-lovers! :)
ReplyDeleteKristenM - Actually, I know a bit about the phytic acid concept. Didn't really think about it in conjunction with oatmeal, but you might have a valid point. Thanks for the food for thought!
ReplyDeletethis looks fantastic. sooo right up my alley. love oats, love ginger, love dried fruit--what an easy way to get the good stuff! you've inspired me for sure!
ReplyDeleteI am one of those wild freaks that anything and everything in a batch of homemade granola. Oh yeah!
ReplyDeleteThe ginger granola sounds good! Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteWe love eating granola for breakfast at my house. I really like how you've spiced up the flavor.
ReplyDelete