This week I tried Jamie Oliver’s granola dust for the first time…and…oh my word…I thought that I had arrived in foodie heaven! It is truly glorious.
I don’t advocate eating processed breakfast cereals, as they are often loaded with refined sugar and other nonsense. If I am going to be going for something along the cereal line for breakfast, I choose and advise oats. Oats by itself can be a bit bland, and does not make a nutritionally balanced meal unless healthy fat and protein is added to it. So, I usually add some fresh fruit to do away with the blandness, add some seeds/ nuts/ nut butter for healthy fat, and some milk for protein. I enjoy that breakfast.
But then there are the days when you just don’t feel like eating cooked oats. Maybe its too hot, or you’re in a rush in the morning and don’t have time to cook the oats…or, you just feel like a bit of a change. What is one to do?! Enter Jamie’s amazing Granola Dust.
This stuff is incredible. It has all the components that I would use in my cooked oats (oats, seeds/nuts, and some dried fruit for sweetness), and then MORE! The orange zest, cacao and coffee give it a depth of flavor that is basically like a party in your mouth! That added x-factor of flavours is perfectly put together by the master himself, Jamie Oliver.
This mixture contains healthy, high fibre carbohydrate from the oats (one of the best ‘everyday superfoods’ you can eat…helps with lowering cholesterol, promotes regular bowel movements, gives you sustained energy, and lots more), healthy plant fats (from seeds and nuts) and then the bursts of flavor from the other ingredients. Nutritionally, all that you need to add to make it balanced is some plain yogurt or milk for some protein. And then, ladies and gentlemen, you have the perfect breakfast! Nutritionally complete, simple, AND delicious!
Ingredients:
- 1kg raw oats
- 250g mixed nuts
- 100g seeds
- 250g dried fruit
- 1 orange zest
- 1 Tablespoon espresso coffee powder
- 2 Tablespoons cacao powder
Method:
- Toast the oats, seed and nuts in the oven at 180 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes
- Mix in the other ingredients\Blend together in a food processor until it turns to magic granola dust
- Store in a glass jar
To Serve:
Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt. You can add milk too, depending on the consistency that you are after. You can also add some chopped fresh fruit on top for some extra antioxidants and goodness.
Alternatively, you can add this to smoothies for a delicious breakfast in a glass.
Enjoy!