BEST, SIMPLEST NUTTY AND CRUNCHY GRANOLA






BEST, SIMPLEST NUTTY AND CRUNCHY GRANOLA
 I have a granola recipe that is awesome, but it is fussy and this one is so easy, that it is my go-to recipe for granola now. It also remains super-crunchy and we live in a humid climate. You can even eat it as cereal with low-carb milk and sweetener, but it is best served atop your favorite yogurt, such as Greek yogurt, which you can sweeten to your taste or over ice cream.  Did you know that 1 cup of yogurt has only 4 usable grams of carbohydrate?  Here is an excerpt from Splendid Low-Carbing (my earlier series of low-carb cookbooks):

"Yogurt, Buttermilk and Kefir - Happily, the Go-Diet authors, Jack Goldberg and Karen O’Mara changed my outlook with regard to these products.  The live cultures such as lactobacillus are hugely beneficial to your health in many ways (see pages 21 and 48 of their book), not the least of which is helping combat yeast overgrowth, promoting colon health and boosting the immune system.  According to laboratory studies, 1 cup (250 mL) plain yogurt contains only about 4 grams of carbohydrate, since these live bacteria have changed the lactose into lactic acid, and this is not taken into account in the nutritional analysis.  Daily consumption of yogurt is therefore highly recommended."  

I have also made this recipe with my Gluten-Free bake mix instead of ground almonds (almond meal).  I added quite a bit of cinnamon to change up the flavor.  That was a good idea!

Staying regular....this recipe helps with that!  No more need for pysillium husks!

2 egg whites
1/cup powdered sweetener (60 mL)
Liquid sweetener, to taste (optional)
3/tsp salt (3 mL)
2 cups almond meal* (500 mL)
1 cup raw almonds, chopped (250 mL)
1 cup pecans, chopped, (250 mL)
  OR use walnuts (cheaper), if you prefer - OR MORE ALMONDS!!
2 cups raw almonds, chopped (500 mL)
 
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). 

In small bowl, combine egg whites, powdered sweetener, liquid sweetener (if using) and salt

In large bowl, combine almond meal, 1 cup (250 mL) almonds, pecans and egg white mixture.  Mix well.  Spread on ungreased cookie sheet, making little clumps (pinch a bit between your fingers and repeat - spreading the small clumps out on the cookie sheet).  Place on middle shelf in oven.  Bake 10 minutes, stir and bake another 10 minutes, or until toasty - possibly another 4 minutes!  Stir in 2 cups (500 mL) chopped almonds.  The granola will crisp up more as it cools.  Store at room temperature in an airtight container. 

Variations:  You can play with this recipe and use the nuts you prefer.  After baking, you can add some chopped dried fruit, raisins, sugar-free dried cranberries or desiccated coconut or even chocolate chips or a chocolate bar broken up into bits (white or dark).  This will make it almost like a trail mix and you'll want to simply snack on it.

Helpful Hints:  *You can use almond flour, but I actually prefer homemade almond meal in this (I grind sliced almonds in a coffee bean grinder).  The lighter version is using almond flour. The granola should last at least a month stored at room temperature in an airtight container. It remains crunchy as can be! 

Yield:  51/cups (1.25 L)
1/cup (60 mL) per serving
208.4 calories
6.8 g protein
18.3 g fat
3.7 g fiber
2.9 g net carbs