Banana Bread Granola with Cacao
I’m in the stage of pregnancy where I’m up from 1-3 every night… fun, right!?! When I’m up tossing and turning, I can’t help but think of things to make! I usually have to get up and have a snack of some sorts. The other night I was craving banana bread granola so badly! The best I could throw together at 2am was mashed bananas topped with walnuts. It suppressed the craving for the night, but I woke up the next day to make this recipe!
Oats, walnuts and bananas are high in soluble fiber, which help to lower cholesterol. Starting your day with a bowl of granola is a healthy addition to a heart healthy diet! I see many patients with elevated cholesterol who easily bring their numbers down by adopting a whole foods diet high in plant-based foods.
Low-sugar granola is an easy way to incorporate oats into your day! The original recipe can be found on the beautiful blog, Minimalist Baker.
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 3 cup old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cups chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup wheat germ (sub flax meal for a GF version)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup coconut oil (or oil of your choice)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mash ripe bananas and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, walnuts, wheat germ, sea salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a small sauce pan over low heat melt coconut oil, stir in maple syrup and vanilla.
- Add coconut oil mixture to oats, stir in mashed bananas. Mix until well combined.
- Evenly spread onto two baking sheets. Cook for 10 minutes, use a spatula to mix granola and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool and stir in cacao nibs.
I added cacao nibs, but mini-chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, dried blueberries, flax seeds or hemp seeds would make wonderful additions!
