Browsing the mega-schmancy new Whole Foods in north Santa Rosa, I found bags of grainless cereal. It sounded intriguing, delicious, and something that could be DIY’ed much, much more cheaply, and in a flash to boot. The mornings are the absolute worst time of day for me to eat more than a handful of grams of carbs, so cereal is right off the menu. Unless it’s a meh low-carb high-protein version, such as Special K Protein Plus. Meh. Well, regardless of the two years of retraining, I still love cereal, and miss it (you’re still in my heart, Quaker Oatmeal Squares). So, off to the Pinterest machine! Where, after reviewing a few recipes that didn’t quite fit the bill, I found this one. I figured that with just a little bit of tweaking, it would be delicious. And it is:
This is fantastic on its own, but would be delicious over Greek yogurt or low carb ice cream. Maybe I’ll even mix it with my cardboard low-carb cereals to kick those up a notch.
So here’s my version. I added coconut flakes and used sliced raw almonds to give it more of a “cereal-y” mouth feel, and flax seeds just because I like them and they’re so nutritious. And I used agave instead of honey, which has a lower glycemic index. I nixed the cashews because, while I like to eat them salted as a snack, I didn’t think they’d mesh well here, and the pepitas, because I forgot them while at TJ’s. I went with half almond extract just for kicks. Next time I’m going to add some homemade cinnamon extract.
Grainless Granola
1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 c flax seeds
1 c sliced raw almonds
3/4 c raw walnuts
3/4 c raw pecan pieces
3/4 c raw sunflower seeds
3 T coconut oil, melted
2 T agave nectar
1 T vanilla extract
1 T almond extract
Preheat oven to 300. Run the walnuts and pecans through a food processor, pulsing a few times (enough to break down the bigger chunks). Mix all ingredients well. Spread thinly and evenly on a large cookie sheet and bake for twenty minutes, stirring once or twice, or until just golden brown. Cool well and store. Or devour warm, doused in cream, like I did.