Peanut Butter Granola

Any transition of seasons is the worst for me because I usually get so stuck on certain meals for that season that I hate to part ways with them.  I am a creature of habit.  If I find something that I really enjoy or it makes me feel good, I stick with it for a long time.  Or until I find something new that does the exact same thing for me.  I usually only have a few meals that I regularly eat because I am very sensitive to food.  I get bloated and nauseous from food very easily, and I haven't worked out what causes it.  

So, in winter I really enjoy a good'ol bowl of oats, my favourite flavour being peanut butter and banana.  Thanks Bron for getting me hooked on putting peanut butter in it.  So when it started getting too warm to eat the good'ol bowl, I became anxious about what I would have to replace it with.  Many storebought cereals are actually not the best for you, and I don't always have time to whip up a gourmet balanced breakfast.  I mean I am a varsity student after all...  So I thought I would try and make a cereal similar to my good'ol bowl of oats.  That is how I got my inspiration for this recipe.  I know this might not be the "cleanest" cereal for many of you, but the upside to making your own cereal, you get to control exactly what goes into it.  You don't get all those hidden sugars and unnecessary ingredients. 

I really enjoy having granola in the morning because you can add extra seeds and nuts, to help add more protein and nutrients to the meal.  I love this granola with banana and plant-milk, but it is also super delicious with some plant-yoghurt.  I have dabbled in making my own but I also enjoy using Woolworths soy yoghurt. My favourite milk is Almond Breeze, this almond milk has such a neutral flavour and is so creamy. This milk has given the best results in frothing for coffees, the milk stays frothed for much longer than any other plant-milks. 

Ingredients:

- 3 Tbsps Peanut Butter 

- 1/3 cup Peanuts

- 2 cups Oats 

- 1 cup Cornflakes or Puffed rice (optional - otherwise sub for another cup of oats)

- 2 Tbsp Mixed Seeds

- 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds

- 1/3 cup Coconut oil

- 1/4 cup Liquid sweetener (used Brown rice syrup, another option is Maple syrup) 

- 1/4 cup Coconut sugar (or Brown sugar)

- 2 Tbsp Currants or Raisins 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

2. Melt the Peanut butter and Coconut oil, and add the liquid sweetener and sugar.  Mix until all is well combined. 

3. In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients. 

4. Pour in the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until everything is well combined. 

5. Pour mixture onto a lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, or until it turns golden. 

6. Take the tray out and allow the granola to cool and harden. 

7. Once cool, break the granola up and place into an air-tight container. Enjoy!