Recipe: Homemade Gluten-Free Granola

I have always been a cereal girl. Weetabix, Cheerios and Shredded Wheat have been my friends for a long time and now, suddenly, my grainy reliable chums have revealed themselves to be arch enemies of my poor damaged gut.

As a busy twenty-something teacher it is often hard to find time to prepare balanced wholesome breakfasts in the morning so having something I can tip into a bowl and cover in fruit and yoghurt is important. Having searched through multiple Pinterest feeds and hashtags of #GlutenFreeBreakfasts I was faced with lovingly crafted concoctions of avocado, eggs and seeds. All of which looked delicious...but time consuming*

*Disclaimer: When you're trying to iron a shirt, plan a lesson and drink coffee all in the space of 5 minutes even boiling an egg can seem time consuming.*

And then I discovered Homemade Granola.

The options for this recipe are endless and I intend to explore them all. This, however, is my first and, in my opinion, very successfully attempt.

1 bag of gluten Free Oats
1 small bag of dried Shredded Coconut
1 cup of almonds (Sliced or whole)
half a cup of brown sugar (Opt.)
1 tablespoon of cinnamon 
Pinch of salt
2 large tablespoons of honey
1 large tablespoon of coconut Oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
Chia Seeds / Flaxseed / Dried fruit (Opt.)

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C
Pour the first 5 ingredients into a huge mixing bowl.
Stir
Heat the honey, oil and vanilla essence over a low heat until melted
Add the remaining, optional, ingredients to the dry mixture and pour the melting honey mixture over the top.
Stir well
Line a large roasting pan with baking parchment
Tip the mixture into the roasting pan and put in the oven for 40 minutes.
Stir every 10 minutes to create an even bake
Allow to cool then break up any larger pieces.

Et voila! It's as simple as that! I've stored mine in an extra large kilner jar and intend to dig into it daily.


I know this recipe with contain more sugar than some people like but it is easy to adapt/tweak to your needs and tastes. This morning I teamed mine with fresh peach, raspberries and natural yoghurt alongside a large mug of peppermint tea - morning bliss.

Planning / Shopping / Cooking Gluten Free #1

Adapting to any new diet is hard work. Adapting to a gluten free diet is very hard work.

As a busy teacher I have found the last 3 three weeks very difficult, I have not been organised, I have spent too much money on poor quality food and I have not been getting the nutrients my body needs.

Enter The Summer Holidays. Six glorious weeks of time for me, myself and I.

Whilst I still need to find time to write a dissertation, re-decorate our spare room and give my vegetable patch some long overdue love I am determined to use some of this time to get organised in the shops and in the kitchen.

Over the next few weeks I intend to document my trials and errors at meal planning, gluten-free shopping and cooking - I'd love to see your attempts or hear your top tips for organising a gluten-free kitchen so please do share away!

Stage 1 - Recipe books & a Meal Planner

I am a creature of habit and find that creating new rituals is always a good way to start anything new. I have an extensive collection of beautiful cookbooks and spent the morning pouring over them with a large cup of tea in hand. I also find Pinterest to be infinitely useful when looking for new ideas - click here to see my pins or even better make your own account and follow me. Having chosen a few recipes I jotted them down onto this lovely sunny meal planning pad from Knock Knock which comes with a large strong magnet on the back ready to go straight onto the fridge. I then consulted the recipes and jotted down any ingredients I didn't already have.

This week I have planned for four main meals and a range breakfasts and lunches - we have a busy weekend ahead and I'm not yet sure what/when/where we will be eating.

Tuesday: Roast Chicken Pho from Nigel Slater's Eat
Wednesday: Aubergine Curry from Nigel Slater's Eat
Thursday: Courgetti & Lime and Coriander chicken 
Friday: Autumn Harvest Wild Mushroom Risotto 

For breakfasts: Fruit salad, Smoothies, Homemade Granola and Avocado Toasts

For lunches: Baked Sweet Potato with feta cheese and beetroot, Vietnamese Rice Rolls, Roast Balsamic Veg with Quinoa. 

All naturally gluten-free, nutritious foods which should leave us both feeling energised and ready for Tramlines this weekend!

Step 2 - Shop

I then popped over to the supermarket to pick up the items I would need. I usually prefer to head to a local farmer's market for produce but after a weekend in bed due to excruciating joint pain I missed the boat and headed to Sainsbury's instead.

TOP TIP: If you're like me and can't go to the supermarket without buying things you don't need ditch the car and go on foot. I took two large bags-for-life and didn't allow myself to stray from my shopping list - I knew I had to carry everything I had bought on the two mile walk back to my house so didn't pack my bags with any unnecessary items.

One of the complaints I hear a lot from people adapting to a gluten free lifestyle for the first time is the cost of the food - my advice is to steer clear of the 'Free From' isle and head to the fresh produce instead. I purchased everything below for less than £40.

Step 3 - Cook

The hard work is done! I now know what I am going to eat and when. The food is ready and waiting in the fridge and all I need to do is check my meal planner and pull out the correct recipe.

Whilst cooking from a recipe every night may seem over the top my aim is to try as many new things as I can reviewing and adapting as I go, then, come September I will have refreshed my repertoire and will be ready to start the new term with a few more gluten-free dishes at my fingertips.

I hope to review as many of the above as I can over the coming week and will feedback on what worked (and what didn't).

Do you have any go-to gluten free dishes that always find their way into your kitchen and onto your plate? I'd love to know about them!

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