As promised, here is the recipe for my chai spice granola!  Again, this is lightly sweet.  I added Rice Krispies to this to help bulk up the granola without adding a lot of calories.  It stretches the portion size out that way.  That said, I do not have nutritionals on this yet

All of the spice gives this a nice flavor.  You could try adding some black pepper, too, like would be in chai.  I was going to, but forgot.

* 2 tbsp of brown sugar
* 2 tbsp apple juice concentrate
* 2 tbsp water
* 2 tsp oil
* 2 tsp honey
* 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
* 1/2 tsp ground clove
* 1/2 tsp cardamom

* 2 cups rolled oats
* 1 cup rice krispies
* 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix together everything but the last 3 ingredients in a large bow. Add the rest and mix really well until all coated.

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Let cool and store in an airtight container.

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Cranapple Spice Granola

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup of maple syrup
• 1/8 cup of of apple juice concentrate
• 2 tsp sunflower (or other light) oil
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup of dried cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 275 F.  In a bowl, mix together the apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, oil, salt, vanilla, and spice until thoroughly mixed.  Add in the oats and almonds and stir/mash really well until the oats are thoroughly coated.  It may not look like enough liquid, but it is.  Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Bake at 275 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring the batch every 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and add the chopped dried cranberries.  Very lightly sweet and crunchy. Delicious!

Enjoy!

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Choco Protein Granola

This granola has a nice chocolatey flavor and 5 grams of protein per 1/2 cup!  I used whey protein powder for this. If you use a soy, you might need a little more liquid.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rice Krispies
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup (25 g) sliced almonds
• 4 tablespoons of coconut
• 2 tablespoons of apple juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 -3 tablespoons of water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 tsp of oil
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (10 g)
• 1 scoop (34 g) chocolate protein powder

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray or use a silpat liner.

In a large bowl, combine the Rice Krispies, oats, coconut, and almonds.

In a small bowl, mix together the the apple juice concentrate, 2 tablespoons of the water, honey, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in the protein powder and cocoa powder.  Mix really well to get out as many lumps as you can.  If the mixture seems too thick, add the extra tablespoon of water.  This mixture will be syrupy – like this:

Pour over the oat mixture.  I found it easier to mix this with my hands.  You can use a spoon or spatula, but you will crush the Rice Krispies too much.  Best to get your hands dirty

Once thoroughly mixed, spread onto the prepared cookie sheet evenly.  Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so and breaking up large pieces of the granola.  When baking granolas, remember that they aren’t crispy when they come right out of the oven, but still somewhat soft.  As it cools, it gets crispy, so you don’t want to over bake it.

Let cool and enjoy!

Stats using my whey protein powder (120 cal per scoop and 25 g of protien)

Per ounce of granola:

120 calories, 3.2 grams of fat, 21 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein.