Chai-spiced Granola

I absolutely love granola. I usually have it with a mashed banana, a dollop of nut butter and some fresh fruit. You could also have it with some coconut yogurt. It is full of healthy unsaturated fats, protein, fibre and iron. Perfect to give you the energy you need in the morning.
This recipe is SO easy to make, you will never have to buy your granola again.
You can find my original gluten-free granola recipe here but today I want to share a seasonal recipe made with Chai spices. It is Autumn after all! (and my birthday tomorrow :-)) I will even tell you how to make your own Chai spices so let's get started.

To make your own chai spices: (you can double or triple the doses and keep in a glass jar for later)

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon nutmeg
I teaspoon anise

INGREDIENTS (for a tall glass jar)

1 cup organic rolled oats
1 cup millet flakes
1/2 cup dried mulberries
4 dried apricots (diced)
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1/2 cup organic whole almonds
1/2 organic hazelnuts
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 heaped tablespoons nut butter of choice (I used cashew butter)
2 tablespoons unsweetened dry raisins
2 tablespoons candied oranges (diced in tiny cubes)
2 tablespoons chai spices

METHOD:

Heat up the oven to 180° C. Cover a baking tray with some parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix everything together except for the raisins and candied oranges.  Mix until everything is well coated in oil and spices. 
Pour onto baking sheet and spread evenly.
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir halfway through. 
Take out of the even and let cool.
Once the mixture has cooled down, throw in the raisins and candied oranges.
Fill the jar. Happy breakfast!

Super easy houmous

There's no two ways about it. Houmous is good. It's good to taste and it's good for you. The chickpea (or Garbanzo bean) is a legume of the family FABACEAE (hence the name of the chickpea water Aquafaba). Chickpeas are naturally high in fiber and protein and are great for digestive health since they regulate blood sugar levels.
There are all sorts of houmous in the UK... not so much in France... And there's usually dairy in it for some reason.

It is originally from the Middle East and in fact, the word hummus means chickpea in Arabic. 

Houmous makes a great sandwich base but can also be eaten with a salad, spread on nice bread or used as a dip with raw vegetables or tortilla crisps.

INGREDIENTS:

200 g cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
2 tablespoons aquafaba
1/2 lemon juice
2 tablespoons lime
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
2 heaped tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix! :)
Pulse a few times to get a really smooth paste.
Optional but recommended: Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some paprika on top.
Transfer to a glass jar and store in the fridge up to 5 days.

Gluten free Granola

I was brought up on continental breakfast. Bread, butter, jam, a mug of hot cocoa, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a yogurt. Everything was either home made (my father was an Artisan Baker) or organic directly from the farm which I thought was good at the time. I never really questionned it. I was brought up this way, so were my parents and grandparents (although times were extremely tough during the war and they would eat whatever they would put their hands on but that's another story).
I also had severe anemia growing up which is a decrease in the total amount of red blood cells you have in your blood. I suffered from iron deficiency for a long time. I would lose a lot of blood every month. The family doctor always told me it was normal, that my pain was normal, that it was part of growing up... Again, I never questioned his diagnosis. I mean, he was a Doctor! I was put on iron pills for years and took them religiously. I developed other symptoms because of them but I'll explain that in another post.
Coming back to breakfast, it took me a long time to try and taste and find out what I liked and what was actually good for me. You hear all sorts of things about breakfast : "it's the most important meal of the day, you should drink a hot beverage and eat carbs and dairy, you should eat a lot at breakfast that will sustain you til noon" etc etc....
I feel it is really up to everyone to find out! I believe in fasting once in a while (which is what you do during your sleep for hours anyway) so if you are not hungry in the morning then ...don't eat! Don't force yourself. Have some nuts and fruit at hand for later when you do get hungry. I love porridge during the winter months but for a few months now, I've been loving my homemade Granola.
Homemade Granola is the best. Specially when you can make it gluten free and with bits and bobs that you like. Then the one recipe that you have has endless possibilities.
Below is the version that I like best at the moment, on top of a mashed banana. I hope you get to try it!

Makes a whole tall Mason jar

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of organic rolled oats
1 cup of millet flakes (if you don't have any, use unsweetened rice puffs or just go with 2 cups of rolled oats)
3 Tablespoons of melted organic coconut oil
2 Tablespoons of organic raw cacao
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 handful of raw almonds
1 handful of raw hazelnuts
1/3 cup Goji berries
1/2 cup of unsweetened dry raisins or sultanas

METHOD:

Heat up the oven to 180° C. Cover a baking tray with some parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the oats, millet, cacao, almonds and hazelnuts together with the oil and vanilla extract. Mix until everything is well coated in oil.
Pour onto baking sheet and spread evenly.
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Take out of the even and let cool.
Once the mixture has cooled down, throw the raisins and the goji berries in there.
Fill the jar and you're good to go!