I couldn’t help myself. Knowing full well that sweetened condensed coconut milk is delicious to boot (especially in iced espresso) I figured condensed oat milk could only be a good thing. I wasn’t wrong – let’s just put it that way.
I chose to put this deliciously decadent yet somewhat wholesome new sweetener to the test in a fresh oil- free granola (one of my favorite things to make and devour!) recipe.
*before we go any further are you wondering – what about the sugar content? Aren’t we avoiding sugar on a therapeutic eating journey? Well…not so fast. While major macronutrients like fat, carbohydrates and protein are the building blocks of any sound diet – we all know that the ratio of those nutrients differs across the board depending on the person. I advocate for a relatively low fat, high carbohydrate diet with a rather lassaiz faire approach to protein. That’s because protein is in just about all foods, fat is overrated and carbs are inaccurately demonized. I’m here to break the box my friend. That said – sugar – while maybe not a health food, can be reframed as just another spice in the cabinet. Right? It enhances food like salt does. When used in mindful ways, sugar can be part of a very conscious approach to eating so long as it’s not taken out of context. Now before I start making any more excuses…the recipe:
Here’s how it rolled out
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lay a baking sheet with parchment paper. I started with a baking pan that was too small and moved everything over to a larger sheet. Word to the wise – you want a sheet where the ingredients lay in a single thin layer. These amounts are approximate because as usual I didn’t measure anything (and rarely do). One of those muscles we want to strengthen in the kitchen is trusting that we can make decision food without measurements.
Mix:
- 4.5 cups of old fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup chia seed
- 1.5 cups cashews
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- Sea Salt – I used an infused sea salt with ginger & turmeric but of course use what you have on hand
- 1/2-3/4 cup of sweetened condensed oat milk
- ~1 cup cranberries (or berries of choice)
Spread all the ingredients on the parchment and bake for 1 hour, turn with a spatula and bake another 20 minutes. It’s done when the granola is lightly browned visibly crunchy. The berries may look burnt but it’s ok. I promise.
Allow to cool and then pour into a couple mason jars. Enjoy on top of a smoothie bowl or eat with chopped fruit. Yum. Have you tried any of my other renditions?
My favorite way to enjoy granola is dry – and then I’ll add it bit by bit to a smoothie or green drink. Featured in this photo is a green smoothie using banana, mango & spinach with a bit of unsweetened oat milk (hey contrast right?).
