Are you a breakfast person? I went through a long phase of skipping it but ever since starting working in an office a couple of years ago, breakfast is a firm part of my morning routine. Breakfast for me always takes place at my desk (I need a little bit of time before I’m ready to eat after waking up) so it has to be portable, easy to story and easy to prepare. Cereal fits the bill perfectly but isn’t it frustrating how much of it is packed full of sugars? Hardly the thing to keep you going all morning, it is?!
Even though I’ve found some great sugar-free varieties of muesli, I thought it would be fun to experiment with a rarer breed: sugar-free granola.
This recipe here uses yacon syrup. Made from the root of the Peruvian yacon plant, the syrup is ideal for breakfast as it helps to regulate blood sugars (no mid-morning crashes), has pre-biotic properties, and is a great source of fiber (adding to your breakfast nutritionally). Yacon syrup has a dark molasses-esque flavor that shined through in the homemade granola.
It can however be subbed in this recipe with maple syrup, honey for a non-vegan version, or your preferred vegan alternative to honey (Sweet Freedom is pretty awesome in my opinion).
This yacon syrup was sent to me to try out by Alara Wholefoods who are the first company in Europe to sell yacon root and are trialling local growing of the crop to really cut down on excess food miles. Alara also have some great policies that I love to see in a company; they are a zero waste company, use 100% renewable energy, they work hard to be “carbon negative”, and all of their products are organic and fair trade. That’s quite a list!
I also tried out some muesli with organic yacon grown at Pertwood Farm in Wiltshire too and would recommend it highly – with added strawberries and hazelnut milk!
Makes approx. 4 servings
Ingredients:
175g rolled oats
2tbsp dried cranberries
1tbsp sunflower seeds
1tbsp pumpkin seeds
1tbsp wheatbran or ground flax seed
3tbsp coconut oil
3tbsp yacon syrup (can be subbed with maple syrup, honey, or similar)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 150C (300F or gas mark 2).
2. Add all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Heat the coconut oil slightly to bring it to liquid form, then stir in the oil and syrup until everything is fully coated.
3. Spread out over a large baking tray and press lightly.
4. Bake for around 20 minutes, stirring halfway, until lightly toasted. Once removed from the oven, stir again if you want a flakier mix or leave to keep bigger clusters.
5. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container and serving with the milk or yoghurt of your choice. It will keep in a cool cupboard for a few weeks.
Have you ever tried homemade granola? What is your favorite flavor combination?
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