Anyone else a breakfast lover like me? As in, it’s up there as a favourite meal of the day? I go through phases whether I’m in the mood for yogurt and fruit, a smoothie, a big bowl of warming porridge, or…GRANOLA!
One of the most addictive things ever, there are a couple of brands whose granola I adore which are also nutritionally sound, but sometimes there’s something very satisfying and enjoyable about making (and eating) your own. Especially when you can control what goes into it, adjust the flavour to your taste and add in any dried fruit, nuts or seeds according to your own preferences.
This very easy, delicious recipe is a winning combination of dates, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon and vanilla – it also includes protein powder to boost the protein content, but feel free to leave it out if you don’t fancy it. Swap raisins, chopped dried apricots or dried cranberries (or other dried fruit) for the dates, or you could swap sunflower seeds for the pumpkin ones. Feel free to add in cocoa powder if you want to make it chocolatey, or switch the cinnamon for ginger or other warm spices – that’s the beauty of this customisible recipe!
Ingredients:
- 300g porridge oats (I used Mornflake)
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used Awesome Supplements)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 170g maple syrup
- 170g melted coconut oil (I used The Groovy Food Company)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100g pumpkin seeds (I used Whitworths)
- 100g chopped dates (I used Whitworths)
Get making!
- Preheat the oven to 170C and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
- Mix together the oats, protein powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Whisk together the maple syrup, oil and vanilla powder pour into the bowl.
- Give everything a good mix to combine so it’s all coated. Spread out onto your prepared baking sheet in an even later and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove, stir in the pumpkin seeds and continue baking for 8-10 minutes then leave to cool – the granola will crispen as it cools. Stir in the chopped dates at the end – then keep in an airtight container.
