60 mins
Serves 18

Chocolate Orange Granola

This idea came about in the run up to Christmas and I was looking for an indulgent granola that was added sugar free. This recipe uses the juice and zest of 1 orange to give a small amount of sweetness and then combines some dried cranberries at the end for tiny explosions of flavour. The art here is to OUTNUMBER the oats by at least 3:1. By doing this you create balance to the granola, by using 2 parts seeds to oats. This combination increases the nutrient density and increases the proteins, fibre and fats and lowers the ratio of available carbohydrates. This results in a more blood sugar balancing granola. Granola is really the topping to your yogurt in the morning and works best when it is part of a balanced breakfast, rather than the main act. This combination increases the nutrient density and increases the proteins, fibre and fats and lowers the ratio of available carbohydrates. This results in a more blood sugar balancing granola. Granola is really the topping to your yogurt in the morning and works best when it is part of a balanced breakfast, rather than the main act.
6g Protein
4g Fibre
9.5 Plant Points

Ingredients

1 cup /mug rolled thick cut oats
1 cup/ mug pumpkin seeds
1 cup/ mug sunflower seeds
Juice and zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons extra virgin extra virgin olive oil (approx)
1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon

After baking and cooling:
pistachio nuts
Brazil nuts, chopped
dried cranberries
50g approx cacao nibs, milled
80%+ dark chocolate chips (I used Nibble Simply)

Method

  1. Turn the oven to 180°C Fan. Mix the oats, pumpkin and sunflower seeds together in an oven-proof tray. Add the juice and zest of one orange as well as the extra virgin olive oil and eth cinnamon. Combine well.
  2. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until it is crisp throughout. Stir mixture after 15 minutes and again at 30 minutes to ensure that it is cooking evenly. Remove from the oven when the mixture has dried out.
  3. On cooling the granola should become crispy. Allow to cool and then add all of the other ingredients. The cacao nibs can be milled in a bulled blender for a few seconds to create a fine powder.
  4. Store in dark cupboard in an airtight jar for up to 2-3 weeks.

Serve on top of a generous bowl of Greek yoghurt with some chopped orange on the top.

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