Once we got to my grandparents house, there were a few special treats that we could always count on being there in the kitchen for us. My grandma always had sugared donut holes, chicken pot pie, homemade pickles and Grape Nut Ice Cream.
I know, you are like Grape Nut what?? And yes, I am indeed talking about the grape nut cereal. In an ice cream. It sounds gross - I totally think so too - but it's this surprisingly delicious vanilla ice cream, full of grape nuts that have become soft and almost chewy.
We ate that stuff up like it was going out of style. I am happy to report that I just googled it, and Giffords (the ice cream company who made it) STILL produces it! Now I need to see if I can get some shipped to my house to prove to my husband how amazing this weird flavor combination is.
Anyway, since the actual Grape Nuts feel like they could flat out break your teeth, we don't eat it as a cereal around here. Our recent go to cereal choice has been granola. I am always hesitant to purchase store bought granola since it is full of fat and sugar and usually not nearly as healthy as they say it is. That's why I love trying out new granola recipes - I get to control exactly what goes in it and I can adjust the ingredients to fit our family's tastes. It's a win win. And, granola is SO easy to make - why not make up a batch (or double it if you eat it up as fast as we do!) and have it around for cereal, snacking, ice cream or yogurt toppings...the possibilities are endless.
This is a recipe I found for a "clean" eating version of granola - and I promise this recipe has no weird ingredients. I found it on Clean & Delicious.
I took out some of the seeds, added some steel cut oats, replaced the oil with applesauce and the agave with honey. And I doubled the batch because we LOVE it! If you're ready to make some of your own, check out the recipe below.
Clean Eating Almond & Raisin Granola
Printable Recipe
- 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats
- 1/2 c. steel cut oats
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- ½ cup sliced raw almonds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 1/4 c. applesauce
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1/3 cup chopped dried fruit (I used raisins)
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 300
Combine oats through allspice in a large bowl.
In a separate small bowl combine applesauce through kosher salt and mix well.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and combine until all the dry ingredients are coated with the wet mixture.
Spread out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Pop baking sheet back into the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until the granola is lightly golden. Add chopped, dried fruit after removing granola from the oven to prevent it from becoming over cooked and chewy.
Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Makes 4 cups (8 -> 1/2cup servings)
So...is there ANYONE out there who has eaten Grape Nut Ice Cream, or am I one of the only ones?
~miranda
