Wake up to Sugarfree Granola

Lately I've stopped having porridge in the morning as the weather has been so nice so I decided to make a huge batch of toasty oaty granola. I really wanted a healthy recipe and not something loaded with sugar. I found a gorgeous recipe in The Rose Bakery cookbook. It's a sugar free granola that tastes as good as it looks. Full of nuts and sultanas. This stuff will keep you going till lunchtime I promise!

I love Granola and must have tasted nearly every type available trying to find the nicest one! My favourite is maple syrup & pecan granola but when I don't make that I love my Aunt Dee's granola. She sells all her 'Just Food' soups, pesto and hummus etc. in supermarkets all over the country but her organic Brazil nut and cranberry granola is only available at Midleton Market. I love it. It's made in small batches so always tastes toasty and fresh.

I only use sultanas and mixed nuts in my granola. I always find it very hard to get up in the morning, when my alarm goes off at 7 I always feel like I could sleep another four hours! The last thing I want to do is waste ten minutes of precious morning time by picking out the horrible candied papaya and sharp banana chips from my cereal bowl. I hate that stuff! So I suppose that really is the benefit with making your own food, you can control what you put in it and that makes me happy! I use the Flahavans organic oats. You can use the best of everything as it's so much cheaper than buying luxury granola. Score!

Sugarfree Granola

Adapted from The Rose Bakery Cookbook (an amaaaazing book)

300g rolled oats

50g whole almonds, roughly chopped
50g Brazil nuts, chopped
50g hazelnuts, chopped
120g sunflower seeds
50g sesame seeds
20g wheat germ
125ml unsweetened apple juice
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
dried or fresh fruits such a figs, sultanas or blueberries

• Preheat oven to 160 C. Mix oats, seeds, wheatgerm, apple juice, sunflower oil in a bowl, then spread out evenly on a baking tray.
• Bake, turning often, for between 45 minutes and 1 hour.
• Remove from oven and leave until cool.
• Add dried or fresh fruits and serve with yogurt or milk. And have a great day!

You can keep this in an airtight container for weeks but it's usually gone after a weeks breakfasts! My other favourite morning wake up is the organic Pukka Detox tea. I love that stuff! It's made from aniseed, fennel and cardamom. Really refreshing!

Lilly x