This blog post also is available in German.
Those amongst you who follow Velvet & Vinegar for a while probably already know, that we don`t buy granola anymore. First because the store-bought versions most of the time contain refined sugar, which is totally unnecessary for a healthy breakfast and not good of our blood sugar levels. Second granola is quite expensive if you buy it pre-made. In case you like playing around with statistics you will quickly find out, concerning the price vs. amount vs. durability ratio, that such a purchase isn`t worth it. Or in other words; the amount you get for that high-priced product is finished within a short amount of time. That is why we make our own granola, it`s cheaper and you can make bigger amounts for less the price. And on top of that you are free to choose whatever flavors and combinations you love. If you’re lacking some ideas what about this granola with dried fruits and nuts.
The most common way to consume granola is to mix it with milk or yogurt, as you may know already. To be honest this get`s boring quite quickly and eating should be all about having fun right? Besides that you can do so much more with granola and with a few different kind of ingredients you can quickly create super cool, delicious, sugar-free and healthy granola bowls. To give you some ideas I would like to share 3 different granola bowl ideas with you today. But first of all I like to show you the basic ingredients you need to create these beauties. Although the build-up stays the same, the possible combinations are endless. I highly recommend to have some of the below mentioned – or even better all of them – in stock. Like that you can prepare your bowls in no time at all.
- Granola (naturally duh, still wanted to list it, as I`m going to explain what basics you need to make your own)
a) basics:
- oatmeal, buckwheat, amaranth, any other cereals or pops
- nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts, almonds, etc.)
- seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.)
b) bonding agent (lel`s call it like that, as it`s main purpose is to adhere the basic ingredients)
- oils, plant-based fats (coconut oil, canola oil, olive oil, etc.)
- savory or sweet pastes (date puree, almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, coconut butter, miso, etc.)
- natural syrups (date syrup, maple syrup, rice syrup, coconut syrup, molasses, agave syrup, etc.)
c) fancy supplements (not really necessary, but they make things interesting):
- dried fruits
- ground fruits or nuts (fruit powder, coconut flakes, ground almond, etc.)
- superfoods (maca powder, chia seeds, açai powder, matcha powder, wheatgrass powder, protein powder, hemp seeds, flax seeds, cacao nibs, etc.)
- liquid basis:
- plant-based yogurt (soy or coconut)
- plant-based milk (almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, coconut milk, etc.)
- smoothies, fruit puree or nice cream
- toppings (everything you like):
- fresh fruits (seasonal) or dried fruits
- nuts
- seeds
- superfoods (you can also mix them together with the liquid basis)
- puree and butters (almond butter, peanut butter, apple puree, etc.)
- vegan sweets, in case you like to indulge from time to time (chocolate, macaroons, chocolates)
So far about the usual “construction” of a granola bowl. Now let`s move forward to the 3 ideas I have in store for you. Two of the bowls contain the granola I linked above. We have an apple sauce granola bowl and a lilac berry granola bowl. The third one is a miso granola bowl with citrus fruits.
Apple Sauce Granola Bowl (Picture 3)
Ingredients (1 bowl):
- 75g granola (recipe is linked above)
- 150g apple sauce
- 15g frozen blueberries
- 1/2 persimmon
Preparation:
- Rinse off persimmon and slice.
- Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl
- In case you are going to do the apple sauce by yourself, peel 2-3 apples, cut into small pieces, give them into a pan. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, cover and let them simmer until the apples are soft. Mash them using a blender.
Lilac Berry Granola Bowl (Picture 1)
Ingredients (1 bowl):
- 75g granola (recipe linked above)
- 200g soygurt without sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon blueberry powder
- 1/2 persimmon
- 15g frozen black berries
- 15g frozen raspberries
Preparation:
- Mix together soygurt and blueberry powder.
- Rinse off persimmon and cut into slices.
- Mix everything together in a bowl.
Miso-Granola Bowl mit with citrus fruits (Picture 2)
Ingredients (1 bowl):
- 75g miso granola (recipe here)
- 200g soygurt without sugar
- 1/2 pink grapefruit
- 1/2 orange
Preparation:
- Remove the orange and grapefruit peel using a sharp knife. Cut both citrus fruits into slices.
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
As you can see, if you have some of the above mentioned ingredients in stock, creating granola bowls is the easiest thing to do in the morning. And on top of that it`s a healthy meal! If you would love to see more recipes like that, please let me know.
Read you soon,
Sarah