(Recipe was found at the Answer Fitness site here.)
Step by Step Instructions:
Here is everything you will need for this flavorful granola: oats, flaxseed meal, wheat germ, vanilla extract (the good stuff), ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I went for hazelnuts but pick whatever you like), oranges (I ended up using two medium sized oranges), honey (mine happened to be a sugar-free honey impersonator and it worked fabulously), and finally unsweetened shredded coconut.
Before you do anything, please go preheat the oven to 325 degrees, so it’s waiting on you and not vice versa. Then get started by zesting an orange (you only need about 1/2 tsp.)
I had 2 medium sized oranges and needed both of them to get the 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed juice that the recipe called for.
Then pour that juice into a small saucepan.
Then measure out and add 1/2 cup of honey to the pan.
Next up add 1 tsp of cinnamon to the mixture.
Add in 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.
Finally add your 1/2 tsp of orange zest, and stir everything up over a medium-high heat. I wish computers were scratch and sniff, b/c this syrup smelled incredible! The scent reminded me of some really great orange-flavored teas I’ve had. Yum!
Once the honey is melted and the mixture is thoroughly combined, it will look like the above. Just remove the pan from the heat and get started on your dry ingredients.
Pour 3 cups of old-fashioned oats in a glass bowl.
Measure and add 1/4 cup of wheat germ to the bowl.
Then add 1/4 cup of flaxseed meal to the oats as well. You can see that it’s a similar consistency to the wheat germ.
Finally you’ll add 1/2 cup of your favorite chopped nuts (hazelnuts in this case).
Pour your orange-vanilla sauce over the top of the dry ingredients…
…then stir all of the ingredients and the sauce together until it’s well combined as you can see above.
Then grab a cookie sheet that has edges and your Silpat (if you have one, which you should). Pour all of the granola onto the Silpat and spread it all into an even layer.
Then put the granola in the oven for 15 minutes…yes, we need to clean the oven…I’m aware of this…stop judging me. 😉
Then take the granola out of the oven, stir it around a bit, and put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes.
Then pull the granola out again and evenly sprinkle the shredded coconut over the top and put it back in the oven for 10 more minutes…
…it’s a tiny bit labor intensive stirring and adding things while baking, but it’s so worth it when it comes out perfectly baked as you can see above. Munch on for a snack or add to your favorite yogurt or whatever else your little heart desires…I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans and almond slivers
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp orange peel
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup organic, unsweetened flaked coconut (I like Bob’s Red Mill Unsweetened Coconut Flakes)
Preparation Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine orange juice, honey, cinnamon, vanilla extract and orange peel in a sauce pot and heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the honey has melted. Set aside.
In a large glass bowl, combine rolled oats, wheat germ, flaxseed meal, and chopped nuts. Do not add the coconut at this point.
Pour the honey-orange juice mixture over the oat mixture and mix gently until the oats are thoroughly coated.
Spread the oats in a thin layer on a baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the granola once during the baking cycle (at around the 15 minu
te mark.)Â Add the coconut during the final ten minutes of baking.
Remove from oven and cool.
For best results (and a nice crunchy granola) store the cooled granola in an airtight container or freezer bag in the icebox.
Makes approximately five cups of granola.
Nutritional Information
Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Servings: 20
Calories 151.2
Total Fat: 5.1 g
Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 1.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 2.0 mg
Potassium: 157.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 22.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g
Sugars: 0.2 g
Protein: 5.2 g
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