Secret Ingredient Low-Carb Granola

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In my former life, I was a serial cereal eater. If ever I fancied a snack I’d head straight for a bowl of sugar and carbohydrate laden cereal.

I don’t miss those days, or the way that all of those grains made me feel. But… I do miss that crunchy goodness of a bowl of cereal and milk.

I mean, bacon and eggs is the breakfast of champions and the best part ever of the keto lifestyle (am I right?) but some days I either don’t have time to cook breakfast or I just want that crunch!

Enter my low carb granola. If I do say so myself, It’s a winner. I have experimented a lot with this recipe and don’t believe that I can improve on this.

Keto. Crunchy. Nutty. A hint of sweetness. And a secret ingredient - flax meal - that gives it that “bowl of cereal” mouthfeel, instead of just wet nuts. I like to eat mine with some almond milk, or spooned over the top of some coconut yoghurt.

Anyway, try it for yourself. At under 3 grams of net carbs per serving, it’s a whole lot better for you than cereal.

Tips & Substitutions

• Flax meal can be switched with chia seeds or almond meal but won’t give the same end mouthfeel.
• Sugar-free maple syrup can be skipped or replaced with Erythritol, Swerve or stevia, to taste.

Nutritional values (per serving, about ¹/₄ cup)

Ingredients (makes 6 cups)

• ¹/₄ cup pine nuts (34 g/ 1.2 oz)
• 1 ¹/₄ cup whole almonds, skin on (179 g/ 6.3 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup cashews (45 g/ 1.6 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup slivered almonds (27 g/ 1 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup pecans (50 g/ 1.7 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup sunflower seeds (70 g/ 2.5 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup pepitas (65 g/ 2.3 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup sesame seeds (36 g/ 1.3 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup flax meal (75 g/ 2.6 oz)
• 1 cup shredded or shaved coconut, unsweetened (75 g/ 2.6 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup sugar-free maple flavored syrup such as Lakanto or Yacon Syrup or any Choc Zero syrups (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
• ¹/₂ cup virgin coconut oil (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• ¹/₂ tsp vanilla powder
• 2 tsp fresh orange zest or 1 tsp dried orange zest
• ¹/₂ tsp cinnamon
• ¹/₄ tsp cardamom
• ¹/₄ - ¹/₂ tsp sea salt or pink Himalayan salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 150 °C/ 300 °F (fan assisted), or 170 °C/ 340 °F (conventional). Combine all nuts, seeds and spices, except for the salt and orange zest, into a large bowl.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a small pan or carefully in the microwave. Add the sugar-free maple syrup and mix well. Pour melted ingredients into nut and seed mix and combine thoroughly.
3. Spread mixture out in an even layer onto a lined baking tray and bake for 45 to 60 minutes.
4. Stir every 15 minutes and keep a close eye on it after the 30 minute mark, it can easily go from toasted to scorched.
5. Once brown and crunchy, remove from oven and let cool. While still warm, but not hot, sprinkle sea salt and orange zest over granola and stir through. Once chilled, transfer into a jar or airtight container and keep at room temperature for up to a month. One serving is about ¹/₄ cup (it doesn’t sound like much, but it is plenty when you eat it. If it's not enough, eat ¹/₂ cup - it will still be very low in carbs!). Serve with plain full-fat yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, cashew milk or coconut milk.

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, about ¹/₄ cup)

Net carbs	Protein	Fat	Calories
Pine nuts
0.1 g	0.2 g	1 g	9 kcal
Almonds, nuts (whole, unblanched)
0.7 g	1.6 g	3.7 g	43 kcal
Cashew nuts, cashews
0.5 g	0.3 g	0.8 g	10 kcal
Almonds, nuts (whole, unblanched)
0.1 g	0.2 g	0.6 g	7 kcal
Pecans, nuts
0.1 g	0.2 g	1.5 g	14 kcal
Sunflower seeds
0.3 g	0.6 g	1.5 g	17 kcal
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
0.1 g	0.8 g	1.3 g	15 kcal
Sesame seeds
0.2 g	0.3 g	0.7 g	9 kcal
Flax meal (flaxmeal), ground flaxseed
0 g	0.6 g	1.3 g	17 kcal
Coconut, dried, desiccated, shredded (organic, unsweetened)
0.2 g	0.6 g	0.4 g	10 kcal
Low-Carb Maple Syrup (KetoDiet blog)
0.2 g	0 g	0 g	6 kcal
Coconut oil, extra virgin
0 g	0 g	4.5 g	41 kcal
Vanilla extract, powder (vanilla bean)
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Orange peel (zest), fresh
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Cinnamon, spices
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Cardamom powder, spices
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Total per serving, about 1/4 cup
2.7 g	5.4 g	17.3 g	198 kcal

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