Low Carb, Low Fat Gluten Free Granola

After an extensive search for a supermarket-grade cereal that is both low in carbohydrates and fat, I quickly realized it was a mission impossible. What shocked me most was the alarmingly high sugar content in many cereals, even those labeled "no added sugar." Starting your day—or your child's—with a meal containing 70g of carbohydrates can cause a significant blood sugar spike. This often leads to a crash shortly after, leaving you feeling drained and hungry again in no time.

Serves 16         10 mins prep        20 mins cook       30 mins total


Ingredients

¼ cup uncooked quinoa optional
1 ½ cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
¼ cup pumpkin seeds or any other seed you like
¼ cup sliced almonds / cashews / pistachios or any nuts you like
¼ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup maple syrup replace with monk fruit or stevia for a sugar free option
2 tbsp coconut oil ¼ cup dried fruit raisins, cherries, cranberries - just make sure there is no sugar added 1 pinch salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg


Method

Preheat oven to 160c degrees. Spread oats and quinoa on a parchment lined baking sheet, toast in the oven for 10 minutes, stirring once.

Remove oats/quinoa from the oven, pour into a bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients.

Spread back onto a baking sheet, pressing it down into a uniform layer, and bake at 150c degrees for 15-20 minutes or until it's just starting to get golden brown.

Carefully flip parts of it with a spatula around the 15 minute mark, making sure not to break up the clusters.

Bake for another 5-10 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet (on a cooling rack).

Make sure it cools for at least 30 minutes before serving, but longer is better, as the granola will crisp up the longer it cools. 

Nutrition:  1 serving is 1/4 Cup 

Calories: 104kcal Carbohydrates: 12g Protein: 2g Fat: 6g Saturated fat: 2g Polyunsaturated fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g      Trans Fat: 0.001g         Sodium: 1mg        Potassium: 97mg      Fiber: 2g          Sugar: 4g



Notes

Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Use your favorite dried fruits in this recipe. x 3 Tbsp.  (low carb are blueberries, cranberries, apricots, prunes)
To save time, get a bag of mixed nuts and chop them up (that way you don’t have to add each type of nut individually!)

Serve with unsweetened Greek yogurt for more of a protein hit

If you don’t have coconut oil you can use olive oil

When you add the pre-cooked granola to the baking sheet, press it down with a spatula to create a uniform layer.

This helps keep the granola from burning and also helps to create those little granola clumps that are so fun to eat!

Recipe Compliments from "The Picky eater".