Great Granola Taste-Off and Whole Grain Almond Cranberry Granola Recipe
Granola is one of my favorite foods as it’s incredibly versatile. Lately I find myself eating granola either for a snack, sprinkling some on my yogurt parfait, smoothie, or ice cream.
A friend recommended I check out Bear Naked Granola as the cereal comes in various flavors and is filled with wholesome natural ingredients (it’s also local to me in New York, since it’s made in Connecticut!). According to the nutrition label, the granola is made with whole grain oats, fruit, and nuts. The cereal also has no artificial flavors, cholesterol, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives. I tried three flavors: Heavenly Chocolate, Vanilla Almond Crunch, and Triple Berry Crunch.
The Heavenly Chocolate is perfect for either dessert or topped with ice cream as it is filled with chocolate covered clusters. The granola reminds me of a healthy alternative to eating a chocolate bar as it satisfies a sweet tooth.
As the weather gets warmer, I tend to make fruit smoothies which taste great with granola. The Vanilla Almond Crunch was by far my favorite to throw in the blender, because it tasted like a vanilla sugar cookie, and who doesn’t like vanilla?
The Triple Berry Crunch was the perfect blend of fruit and cereal. The cereal contains real chunks of fruit as opposed to berry flakes. I sprinkled the granola onto plain greek yogurt, which added plenty of flavor. A get well cookies delivery could also be a perfect pair!
Bear Naked Granola (You can buy it here) will remain on my grocery list from now on as it reminds me of the granola my mom used to make for me. Both taste wholesome and contain natural ingredients.
If you would like to make your own granol cereal check out my favorite recipe listed below, which comes from Whole Foods.
WHOLE-GRAIN ALMOND GRANOLA WITH CRANBERRIES
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup rye flakes
• 1/2 cup amaranth grain
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup dried cranberries
Method:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together honey, oil and vanilla. Stir in oats, rye flakes, amaranth and almonds until evenly coated. Spread on prepared baking sheet.
Bake about 30 minutes or until golden.
Stir in cranberries and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.