Sugar and oil free banana bread granola

I don’t know about you, but if there is something that i absolutely LOVE and crave it is granola!

Up until i started my fitness journey, i always thought that granola was a ‘healthy’ breakfast alternative to most commercial cereals. I still remember thinking that granola was a healthy breakfast option - oh how naive i was!

Store bought granola may be delicious, but is usually packed with saturated fats and is very high in refined sugar! Some granolas have even been found to contain more sugar than refined cereals, with hidden ingredients such as added syrups, preservatives and other nasties. For too long has granola masqueraded as a ‘healthy breakfast treat’!

For the past few weeks i have been craving a delicious crunchy tasty bowl of granola… so i decided to take matters into my own hands.

Although i have come across recipes that are sugar free, i struggled to find ones that were oil free too. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with using certain oils (such as coconut oil) but i just find it unnecessary and would like to save up my fats for other meals of the day :P This refined sugar free granola is so crunchy and delicious you won’t even miss the oil. With only 8 ingredients it is so easy to make in bulk with no hidden nasties. Delicious and simple.

refined-sugar free✔gluten-free✔high protein✔high fibre✔low fat ✔

INGREDIENTS

2 cups rolled oats( i used gluten free)

4 egg whites

1-2 handfuls of almonds (can omit if you want the recipe to be completely fat free)

1-2 tablespoons of raw organic honey

5-6 drops of stevia

2 ripe bananas

1 teaspoon cinnamon ( or more if you’re like me and love cinnamon!)

0.5 teaspoon ground vanilla

METHOD:

1)Line a baking tray with baking paper and spray with oil spray (i used coconut oil spray). Preheat oven to 150°C.

2)Place all the dry ingredients in a big mixing bowl.

3)Place the egg whites in a food processor/blender and blend until fluffy. Add the bananas, honey, and stevia- and blend until smooth. NOTE: if you do not have a blender/food processor beat the egg whites until fluffy and mush bananas by hand. Mix this well with all the other wet ingredients.

4)Pour blended wet ingredients into the mixing bowl over the dry ingredients and mix well using a spoon. Ensure that all the oats have been covered by the wet egg white-bannana mixture. Do not panic if the mixture seems very runny- the mixture is meant to have more liquid than oats!

5) Place oat mixture onto lined baking paper and spread it evenly with a spatula.

6) Bake in oven for roughing 40 minutes or until browned in colour. *Watch that it doesn't burn!

7)Once ready, allow to cool. The mixture should harden and become crunchy. Take the granola off the baking paper and break into clusters. Transfer into an air tight container.

NOTE: allow the granola to cool down properly before transferring it to an airtight container to prevent it from becoming soggy. The granola should be crunchy and not chewy !