Almond and Cardamom Granola – Blood sugar Friendly Granola!

Granola is one of those foods that can mean vastly different things to different people. Unfortunately, many of the granolas we see in hops fall into two different categories:

1.     So high in sugar and oils that you might as well be eating an oaty biscuit rather than a cereal ( No shade to oaty biscuits but if I want cereal I want actual cereal!)

2.        Has a host of health claims such as ‘sugar-free/no added sugar’  but still be loaded with naturaly sugar-containing sweeteners like treacle, concentrated fruit juices and date syrup, and packed with halo-inducing ingredients such as ‘protein crispies’  and inulin, and the hefty price tag that goes along with all that.

But.. Granola is actually pretty straightforward to make at home with a few easy-to-get ingredients and can be super healthy!

I have Type 2 Diabetes, can I eat granola??

In this recipe olive oil and nuts are used for healthy fats and nuts also increase the protein. Oats are high-fibre complex carbs and are a great source of beta-glucans which help lower bad cholesterol and the dried fruit contributes to your 5 a day, bringing more fibre and micronutrients. Together these make this granola great for those with type 2 diabetes as combining carbohydrates with protein, fibre and healthy fats helps slow digestion and trigger insulin to reduce the risk of high blood sugar levels. Serve ½ cup of granola with low-fat Greek yoghurt for protein, a splash of milk and some berries to maximise the blood sugar stabilising properties.

This recipe reminds me of going home – my mum always has a fresh batch of her cardamom granola in a huge 3-litre Kilner jar.  With Irish yoghurt (I swear you can taste the freshness!!) and Wexford strawberries, this is the best breakfast on a summer’s day! Granted her version is more complicated, but this is my paired-down version that I make all the time!

A top tip I’ve taken from my mum is to keep all the ingredients for the granola together, in a box or cupboard so that anytime the oven is on you can quickly throw a batch of this together and make the most of the energy! 

I always do this recipe in cups rather than grams or mls, for ease and speed!

Ingredients :

¼ of a cup peanut butter

¼ of a cup of honey // Maple syrup if vegan

¼ of a cup olive/ rapeseed oil

4 cups of oats

2-3 tsp cardamom depending on how strong you like it //this can be replaced with cinnamon.

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup whole almonds // Mixed nuts or whatever you fancy!

1/3 cup dried fruit – whatever you like, I used dried apple because we had the end of a bag to use up!

Method

1.        Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

2.        Over a low heat, gently heat up the peanut butter, honey and oil in a small pan for a few minutes and stir often to mix. You don’t want this to boil, we are aiming to loosen up and combine the three ingredients!

3.        Pop your oats, cardamom and salt in a bowl and mix.

4.        Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix well. Use a rubber spatula to get all the wet mixture out of the pan!

5.        Once well combined spread the mixture out in a layer over the two trays.

6.        Chop up your nuts if needed and sprinkle over.

7.        Bake for ~12 minutes, take out and stir it and bake again for another 12 minutes

My oven was quite hot, I think the temperature gauge is a bit out – so you may need longer than 12 minutes – just keep an eye on it, I like my granola well toasted but if you prefer it less so, take it out earlier.

8.        Leave to cool FULLY before stirring in your dried fruit and storing it in a jar/Tupperware – if you store it still warm it will go soft.

9.        Serve with yoghurt, milk, fresh fruit and a smile!