Banana Maple Nut Granola

 

Crispy, crunchy granola, or muesli as it’s better known here is one of my favourite breakfasts.  And I think I’ve created my new favourite version ever – Banana Maple Nut Granola.

Making your own muesli/granola is super easy.  With my husband in toe, I hit the bulk bins at the supermarket to buy the ingredients and he said “So when you say you’re making muesli, you mean you’re just taking all this stuff and just mixing it together??” Well, it’s slightly more complicated than that, but pretty much!  Just 20 minutes  in the kitchen and you create a banana flavoured, slightly sweet and crunch cluster style muesli that will get your taste buds excited.  It’s almost like a crunchy version of banana bread.

I chose my favourite combination of nuts and seeds.  I wanted to include walnuts, chia and flax seeds because they’re a great plant based source of the polyunsaturated omega 3 fats that tend to be low in our diets.  They’re great for gorgeous skin, brain health and keeping your heart healthy.  And they’re also delicious.

Packed with high protein and high fibre ingredients, You only need a small serve of  banana maple nut granola to keep you feeling full and this batch keeps well stored in an air tight container.

Banana Maple Nut Granola
recipe modified from Nutrition Stripped

2 cups wholegrain oats
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup cashews
1/3 cup linseeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 large ripe, spotty bananas -( you want them super ripe), peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons of tahini or almond butter (you could even use peanut butter)
3 tablespoons maple syrup

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 Degrees Celcius.  Line a large oven tray with baking paper
2. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
3.  In a blender, mix together the bananas, tahini and maple syrup until it is smooth, with no lumps.

4. Take the banana mixture and pour it into the bowl of dry ingredients.  Mix until well combined.
5.  Pour the mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly.

6.  Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and stir well. Return for a further 10-15 minutes until golden brown.  Be careful not to overcook or you’ll burn the nuts!  Don’t fret if it the granola is not crispy as soon as you pull it out of the oven, will crisp up as it cools.

Banana Maple Nut Granola makes a yummy snack too – pop 1/3 of a cup in a container to keep you going through the day.