Staying at home means making lots of breakfast, lunches and dinners. In case you’re getting bored with the same ole same old recipes, here’s one that is sure to wake up your taste buds and make everyone in your house happy – even if that’s just YOU.
Granola is super easy to make at home – you control the ingredients so you can add less sugar, fat and no preservatives. Plus, you can load up on flavors and ingredients that you love.
Mace and Cardamom are two spices we don’t use often in the U.S. Mace is the outside covering of the nutmeg, (use nutmeg if you don’t have mace on hand), and Cardamom is the resinous, strongly aromatic seed used often in India, Asia and the Netherlands. Both are full of warm, spicy flavor that tastes great with ginger! Mace offers a large number of benefits, and one of them is keeping the digestive system healthy. It can help relieve bloating, constipation and gas related problems. Not just that, mace spice is good for regulating bowel movements. Cardamom is a wonderful addition to the granola and offers its own health benefits. It is used as a spice that contains chemicals that might treat intestinal spasms, kill some bacteria, reduce swelling, and help the immune system. All of these wonderful health benefits are hidden in this healthy granola…enjoy!
Ginger Spiced Granola
(Served with Sliced Bananas and Yogurt)
- 3 Cups Oats
- 2 TBs Ground Flax Seeds
- ¼ Cup Sesame Seeds
- ¼ Cup Chopped Walnuts
- ¼ Cup Chopped Almonds
- 1 ½ Tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ Tsp EACH Mace, (or Nutmeg) and Cardamom
- ¼ Cup Maple Syrup
- ¼ Cup Orange Juice
- Zest of 1 Orange
- ½ Cup Your Choice of Dried Fruit
- 2 TB Finely Chopped *Crystallized Ginger
Step One
Preheat the oven to 300F. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients except dried fruit and ginger. Drizzle in the maple syrup and stir well. Add orange juice and zest, stirring so all ingredients are coated.
Step Two
Spread the mix out onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring checking about every 10 minutes so nothing burns.
Step Three
Remove from oven, add the dried fruit and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
*You can find crystallized ginger in almost any grocery store. Check the international aisle. Crystallized ginger is made from ginger that has been cooked until soft and then lightly coated with sugar and dried. It has a spicy-sweet flavor and a wonderful chewy texture.
Shout out to the “glamour shot” photographer Kristina Limoges