Low Fat Granola

Granola can be a versatile and nutritious part to a healthy diet. You can enjoy it as a snack, in a bowl with milk, or as a crunchy topping for oats or yogurt. However, many granolas are high in saturated fats and simple sugars. This low fat granola is a healthier alternative, made with oats, almonds, and avocado oil, naturally sweetened with dates and flavored with winter spices. It’s packed with fiber, healthy fats, potassium, antioxidants, and a delicious crunch.

Inspiration

When I first tasted the Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats, I thought it would be nice to have a crunchy topping. I tried walnuts. It was good, but I thought that granola would look and taste great, but I didn’t have any. So I started looking for a recipe. Every one that I found had: saturated fat (coconut oil), and a lot of simple sugars (maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar). I don’t think a little maple syrup or honey are necessarily a bad thing, but if I eat them in the morning, I’ll need a nap by noon.

So I decided to try to make a granola recipe that was low in saturated fat, and simple sugars.

When I first tasted the Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats, I thought a crunchy topping would make it even better. I tried adding walnuts, which were good, but I felt that granola would taste better, and look great. I didn’t have any on hand, so I searched for a recipe. But, every recipe that sounded good, included coconut oil, which is high in saturated fat, and simple sugars (maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar). While I don’t think a little maple syrup or honey is necessarily bad, I know that if I eat too much sugar in the morning, I’ll be ready for a nap by noon.

So, I decided to create my own granola recipe—one that’s low in saturated fat and simple sugars.

How Do I Work This?

To me, designing recipes is an art form. Translating the sensations that you imagine into something that allows others to experience those sensations is magical.

Eliminating saturated fat was easy—replace coconut oil with a healthier option like olive or avocado oil. I chose avocado oil because I worried that olive oil might be too savory, and I wanted to retain all the sweetness I could.

The more difficult question is – how can I eliminate the simple sugars and still deliver the sweetness that people expect from granola? Inspired by the Dark Chocolate Hemp Energy Bites from the Minimalist Baker, I decided to try dates. Dates are fantastic, they remind me of caramelized pears, plus they are a good source of fiber, potassium, and antioxidants.

I think that dates can be pretty bland on their own, plus I thought that I should try to increase the perceived sweetness to help make up for the reduced sugar. People often associate vanilla, and warm winter spices with sweet foods so I decided to go with vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

The Test Begins—Now

I pureed the dates in a food processor which makes a really thick paste, mixed everything together, and popped it in the oven. It smelled amazing – that’s a good sign since how food smells has a big impact on flavor.
Finally, I tasted it. It was really good. In fact, I snacked on it often. But, the dates aren’t very well distributed so there a some large clumps of dates, and some spots that didn’t get any.

Discovering Date Paste

The next morning, I thought – maybe if I soak the dates, they’ll blend easier. I looked up soaking dates, and stumbled into date paste. I had never heard of date paste before, but it sounded perfect, and it’s really easy to make. Soak or boil dates, and blend. It’s really great stuff. I keep a jar in the fridge and use it when I want to add some sweetness to my food.

It all works great together. The date paste blends into the dry ingredients easily, the spice mix makes the whole house smell amazing when it’s baking, and the avocado oil provides a satisfying crunch.