Every mom knows about the daily struggle to feed her kids healthy, low carb foods. Given the epidemic of dry eye in young people and kids, I try to give them (aka “hide”) Omega 3 in a lot of foods I make.
Often I try to push the limit of how little sugar I can put into a dish or how much Omega 3-rich substances can I hide in a meal before it becomes intolerable
God bless my family for putting us with these experiments: though sometimes they don’t notice or have learned to not say anything.
Here is my latest experiment—I mean dish.
So far it is a hit. My kids keep asking what those little black things (Chia seeds—-full of Omega 3) are in their Granola but I keep changing the subject.
The first batch, I put too much Stevia Syrup (1/2tablespoon of stevia for 8 tablespoons of water). Will decrease this next time. I had the “dilute” the Granola with 5 more cups of toasted oatmeal.
Below is the modified recipe.
It is delicious and flexible. You can add more or less honey, etc to taste. I did not add extra salt as some of the nuts were salty.
I used 1/3 less of brown sugar.
I toasted everything when done to give it a nice brown color (be careful not to burn).
Dr. Cremers’ Granola ingredients:
I doubled this recipe initially but here is the basic.
- 4 cups whole oats (or 3 1/4 cups oats + 3/4 cup oat bran). I added more toasted oats at the end to titrate sweetness.
- 3/4 cup raw almonds, whole or sliced (mine had a little salt so I deleted salt below)
- 3/4 cup raw cashews, chopped
- 1/2 cup raw pepitas or sunflower seeds
- 2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut; I accidentally had sweetened so I decreased sugars more)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (or substitute palm sugar)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup brown rice syrup: I did not have this so I used stevia: next time will try 1 teaspoon Stevia in 4 tablespoons of water: boil in pot till melted and add to mixture belo.
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt: I did not use this.
- 1/4 Cup of Chia seeds: I used 1/2 but would start low just in case you do not like them.
Directions:
- Pour 1 1/2 cups oats in a food processor or bullet or pound them ideally until finely ground.
- Place the ground and remaining whole oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, and dried fruit in a large bowl. Mix well. Line a large 13X18 inch rimmed baking sheet with wax paper and set aside: optional. Some of my trays had no wax paper nor were greased.
- Place the brown sugar, honey, stevia syrup/brown rice syrup, and coconut oil in a sauce pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, stir well, then remove from heat immediately. Stir in the vanilla and salt (if want salt). Then pour the syrup over the dry ingredients.
- Mix well, so that all the dry ingredients are coated, then scoop the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet.
- I toasted mine in oven till lightly brown: I alternated between Bake 450 F and broil but watching carefully to not burn it.
- You can also spread the mixture out evenly and another sheet of wax paper to press down on the mixture until flat and packed and make bars: Refrigerate for 2 hours to set, then cut into squares. Wrap well, and store in the refrigerator, or in a cool dark place for up to 2 weeks.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving Size: about 1 cup
Original ingredients:
- 4 cups whole oats (or 3 1/4 cups oats + 3/4 cup oat bran)
- 3/4 cup raw almonds, whole or sliced
- 3/4 cup raw cashews, chopped
- 1/2 cup raw pepitas
- 2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (or substitute palm sugar)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Adapted from: