Gluten-Free Granola

Growing up, there was just one kind of granola in our home.  It came in a box like this.

And only the grownups ate it.  The unattractive brown box, the 100% natural claim, and the highly-persuasive Quaker man didn't exactly market to kids.  Kids who had health-conscious parents ate Life, Cheerios, and Kix, unless we slept over at a friend's house.  Then we were introduced to the evils of Captain Crunch, Cocoa Puffs, Fruit Loops, and Frosted Flakes.  Oh, how I loved Tony the Tiger.

Today there are many granola options available, most of which contain gluten, because their oats are not made in a dedicated gluten-free facility.  I have found a few gluten-free granolas that I enjoy, but as with many gluten-free products, the high cost of $5-7 a bag prevents it from being on my weekly shopping list.

As does the high calorie count.

Yesterday, Karen commented on my peaches post saying that she lived on vanilla yogurt, peaches, and granola last summer.  That just sounded so good, and so much better than my cottage cheese and peaches snack.  Sometimes my low-fat mindset limits my food choices to the unimaginative.  I couldn't get yogurt and granola off my mind.

And since I've been on a kick of trying new things and making things I'd normally buy, I now had my Sunday challenge.  Of course, my granola would be gluten-free, and I did want to try to make it a little less fattening and less sweet than the commercial brands.  There are tons of recipes to peruse online, and peruse I did.  I learned that you can put whatever you want in your batch.  You start with rolled oats as your base, add whatever nuts and seeds you'd like, and then you need a little something sweet and a little something wet to hold it all together.  I opted for agave nectar as my sweetener, which is low on the glycemic index, and applesauce to keep it moist but cut down on the amount of oil needed.

It sure was pretty.

And tasty.

Granola Gluten-Free

Dry Ingredients:
5 cups gluten-free rolled oats (I used Bob's Red Mill.)
2 cups of chopped raw almonds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup golden flaxseeds
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used an organic brand that included pureed berries.)
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
2 T canola oil

Fruit:
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries

1.  Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
2.  Mix the wet ingredients together in a small bowl.
3.  Then stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4.  Spoon the mixture onto two jelly roll pans and bake at 300 for 35-40 minutes.  Set the timer every 5-10 minutes and stir the granola, rotating the pans between the top and bottom oven racks to prevent burning or clumping.
5.  When it reaches a golden brown color, cool the granola on the pans and add the dried fruit.
6.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes 12 cups

Thanks to Karen, I had a delicious yogurt and granola lunch.

I have a feeling that granola will be topping our protein shakes, cereal, cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream... for weeks to come.

How do you like your granola?