Sometimes, the food world surprises me. I mean, you’d think chickpeas in grain-free granola would be weird, right? Wrong.
The newest hot breakfast trend of granola with chickpeas is actually both delicious and satisfying. Try a batch.
Walnuts, pecans, almonds, oh my!
But… will it work for my gut?
There are some considerations if you’re worried about some of the common gut irritants that might be found in grain-free granola.
- Sugar: many commercial granolas sell because they are sweet like dessert
- High FODMAPs: care must be taken to select mostly low FODMAPs nuts and seeds
- Chickpeas: some granola use whole chickpeas and others use flour. This uses flour, in a moderate amount.
- Fat: grain-free granolas are commonly made with coconut oil, which may or may not work well for you. I’ve chosen to create a recipe focused on monounsaturated fats by using olive oil.
- Dried fruit: mine is made with fresh fruit but it does dry during the baking process.
What to do? Take control. DIY allows you to increase or decrease as your body suggests.
My version is barely sweetened, with just a tiny hint of maple, and clear notes of cranberry highlighting the richness of the nuts and seeds. The mixture of egg and chickpea flour make it thick enough to shape bars.
Zinger Chicky Nut-ola Recipe (Grain-free Granola)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 cups low FODMAPs nuts (walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, etc)
- 1 cup seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc)
- 2/3 cup high FODMAPs nuts, chopped or sliced
- 2/3 cup chickpea flour
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons mild olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup (you may increase for a sweeter granola)
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Chop the cranberries and low FODMAP nuts in a food processor until they form a coarse meal.
In a large bowl, mix the cranberry blend with the remaining ingredients. Spread over the parchment paper or shape into bars.
Bake for 10 minutes; flip, and decrease the temperature to 250 degrees. Bake for another 20 minutes. Cool, and package in an airtight container.
Low FODMAPs? Keep your portion small. Consider swapping the almonds out for a low FODMAP nut or seed.
Avoiding egg? Use 2 T of ground flaxseed with 3 T of water.