© 2023 Kristina Bant Yoga - Designed & Developed by Kristina Bant Jenkins

Kristina’s Superfood Granola

Originally Posted May 20, 2013 on LifeThroughtheOtherLens.com

I’m obsessed with food blogs. I love to cook, I love the food photography that everyone seems to capture that I cannot, I love everything about food and writing about it! So I cook, watch cooking shows, and learn from all the other foodies out there.

This morning I made this granola, I sort of improvised my own concoction. It’s reeeallllllyyyy yummy! This SuperFood Granola can be eaten by the handful as an afternoon snack, but it’s also a great way to begin the day. I don’t like my granola overly sweet like store-bought granola. And with the slightest bit of sea salt, this one has that savory-salty-sweet combo!

Serve with a bit of fresh fruit, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, for optimum health benefits, and a dollop of creamy coconut or oatmilk yogurt (I’m also currently obsessed with cashew yogurt) or a bit of your fave milk-alternative.

Kristina's SuperFood Granola

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup quinoa
2 tbsp. cold-pressed coconut oil
1/2 cup white sesame seeds
1/2 cup good-quality raw honey
1/2 cup cold-pressed coconut oil
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp. sea salt, coarsely cracked
1/2 cup puffed rice cereal
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 cup (4.5 oz.) dried cranberries
1 cup (4.5 oz.) hazelnuts, chopped
3/4 cup pitted prunes, chopped roughly

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400*F.

Prepare the quinoa. Note: I always rinse my quinoa first, then I heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the quinoa for about a minute before adding the water.  (Another tip: I prepare about twice the amount (1 cup) and keep the extra in a container in the fridge for other uses. It’s easier to make quinoa ahead of time and have some ready for breakfast or lunch when I’m in a h

Whisk together 1/2 cup coconut oil, honey, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and add the cooked quinoa and rolled oats to combine thoroughly.  Evenly spread the quinoa-oats mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with cracked salt. Roast, turning now and then, until the flakes are dried and crunchy and a lovely golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.  Let the quinoa-oats mixture cool completely.
While the quinoa-oats mixture roasts, heat the 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a frying pan.  Add the sesame seeds, and toast until a light golden brown. Pull off the heat and put in a large mixing bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients to the toasted sesame seeds: puffed rice cereal (try to find a good quality cereal without any added sugar or preservatives, Whole Foods has one), flax seeds, dried cranberries, hazelnuts, and prunes.  Then add the quinoa-oats mixture and combine all together.  I use a mixing bowl that has a handy cover so I can close it tightly and shake it all up.  Store in a glass container for up to 2 weeks.

A few notes on why I chose these ingredients:

I use raw honey because it has a much milder flavor than some, it adds a little sweetness without lending too much character. Raw honey is preferred over regular honey because it ‘s completely unprocessed and unpasteurized and is an alkaline-forming food, which helps with digestion.

Oats, via their high fiber content, are already known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream. Now, the latest research suggests they may have another cardio-protective mechanism. Antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Quinoa is a terrific gluten-free source of protein, one of the most protein-rich foods we can eat, a complete protein containing all nine essential amino acids, and is nicknamed a superfood all by itself. Quinoa contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains, and is rich in iron, lysine, magnesium, riboflavin (B2), and has a high content an manganese, and antioxidant, which helps to prevent damage of mitochondria during energy production as well as to protect red blood cells and other cells from injury by free radicals.

I’m also trying to use coconut oil whenever possible, it’s great for baking and frying and Dr. Oz has been talking a lot about this great oil, calling it one of the top 5 superfoods, a must-have for your diet, helping you lose weight, treat skin conditions and ulcers.

Sesame seeds add a nutty taste and a delicate, almost invisible, crunch, and are one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, prized as an oilseed for at least 5,000 years.  While it is beginning to regain favor due to its exceptionally high calcium and magnesium, copper and iron content, few realize it is also one of the most potent medicinal foods still commonly consumed today. In the past twenty years, a glut of scientific information has poured in demonstrating that sesame seed, and its components, have over three dozen documented therapeutic properties. There are evidence-based medicinal properties of this food-medicine to help treat diabetes, high blood pressure, gingivitis and dental plaque, depression, stress, and many of the most common cancers.

Flax seeds are one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its primary healthy reputation to three of them: omega-3 essential fatty acids (each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant  omega-3s), lignans (which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods), and fiber (flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types).

Hazelnuts pack a large amount of valuable nutrients. Hazelnuts have adequate amounts of B Vitamins, largely responsible for proper metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and protein. A specific B vitamin found in hazelnuts, thiamin, works to help regulate your nervous system and aid healthy muscle and cardiovascular health. One small serving size of hazelnuts offers a near 20% of your recommended daily consumption of Vitamin E, eliminating free radicals within your body. As an essential nutrient, Vitamin E does not occur naturally in your body, meaning you have to consume the nutrient through food sources hazelnuts. The Vitamin K in hazelnuts helps regulate blood clotting so that you do not encounter excessive bleeding when injured. The vitamin also works alongside other nutrients to form healthy bones. Hazelnuts have nearly 13 grams of monounsaturated fat per every one ounce serving. Paired with the polyunsaturated fat, these healthy lipids work to reduce bad cholesterol, maintain healthy arteries, and improve overall heart health. Healthy fats have also been linked with lowering overall fat storages, known as triglycerides. This promotes more heart health and overall well being through weight management. Hazelnuts lack both sodium and cholesterol, making them a healthy choice for those watching weight and looking to improve heart health. Although hazelnuts only contain about 5 grams of protein per each one ounce serving size, they still act as a sufficient secondary source of the valuable macronutrient. They also contain viable amounts of magnesium and calcium, both of which greatly improve bone and teeth formation and density. The copper within hazelnuts plays a vital role in protecting against and improving some forms of arthritis, slowing down the overall aging process, and even stimulating brain cells. Copper also works to increase immunity, protecting you against common sicknesses.

Recent scientific studies have ranked prunes, or dried plums, as #1 food in terms of antioxidant capacity. Using a laboratory analysis called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity), researchers found that prunes had more than twice the antioxidant capacity of other high ranking foods such as blueberries and raisins. With a score of 5770 ORAC units per 100 grams, the antioxidant power of prunes also topped that of fresh plums. Antioxidants are compounds that help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, unstable molecules that result from normal cell metabolism, smoking, pollution and UV irradiation. Research suggests that excess free radicals may contribute to pre-mature aging, wrinkling of the skin, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. Much of this antioxidant power can be attributed to the high levels of hydroxycinnamic acids, including neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids, both of which appear to be highly effective at scavenging free radicals. In addition, prunes and plums are rich in anthocyanins, flavonoid pigments with strong antioxidant properties. Prunes are also famous for their constipation-relieving abilities thanks to the fiber and sorbitol, but prunes can also support bone- health and stave off osteoporosis with the high content of potassium and boron.

 

Cranberries have vitamin C and fiber, and are only 45 calories per cup. In disease-fighting antioxidants, cranberries outrank nearly every fruit and vegetable–including strawberries, spinach, broccoli, red grapes, apples, raspberries, and cherries. This one cup of cranberries has 8,983 total antioxidant capacity. Only blueberries can top that, so throw some of those on top of this granola when serving…
and Enjoy! 🙂

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KRISTINA BANT

I’m a freelance photographer with my roots in Denmark and a little bit of my home in Los Angeles. I’m yoga teacher, a mom and a creative that cannot help but see the beauty in people and places everywhere. I’m open for bookings and collaborations, so feel free to contact me!

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