One of the healthy snacks that I shared at my recent nutrition class was "Seed and Nut Granola."   Several of the students wanted the recipe, so I am posting it here.
This is a good snack for anyone with celiac or gluten intolerance.  I think that what makes this granola special is the buckwheat.  Buckwheat is not a grain, it is a seed derived from a flowering plant with a excellent source of manganese and a good source of magnesium.  I like to use buckwheat from To Your Health Sprouted Flour since I know this has been cleaned, sprouted, and ready to eat.  I won't be getting any dust along with my buckwheat.  Products from this company are delivered to the Auburn-Opelika area once per month through the Auburn Food Club or can be ordered directly from the company.  Sometimes they offer free shipping.

Mix the following into a bowl:

1 cup unsalted shelled sunflower seed
1 cup unsalted pumpkin seed
1 cup whole buckwheat 
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup chopped crystalized ginger (optional)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Stir together the following and then add to the dry mixture above:

1/2 cup maple syrup (grade B is less refined than grade A and can be purchased through our Auburn Food Buying Club)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Spread on 12 x 16 baking pan lined with parchment paper.  Tamp down with back of broad spoon.  Bake in convection oven on 225 for 2 hours and then lower the temperature to 200 for 2 more hours.  Take out and let cool.  If less maple syrup is desired, then cut down a little and add a full dropper of liquid stevia.

 Click here for another fabulous no bake grain free breakfast cereal 

A couple of weeks ago, the husband put in an order for some Ginger Cookies and since this month's power bill contained a ginger cookie recipe, I placed the recipe on the counter to give it a shot; but, you know cookies just can't be made without sugar, and since we try to eliminate sugar from our diet, I decided to make some sugar free ginger cookies.  Lately, I have really been delighted with the liquid stevia. Liquid stevia is way more tasty and dissolves better than the powdered kind.  After looking over the recipe however, I realized that the cookies would need the texture and volume that sugar would provide so I needed to find something else in addition to the liquid stevia to replace the binding effect of the sugar.  Xylitol to the rescue. 

And since I do like to play around with the ingredients, I thought I would make two batches of cookies exactly the same only changing the kind of oil I would use in each batch.  The recipe called for shortening, but I know what a health hazard shortening is, so I opted for two healthy options. One option was lard (organic from Miller's Organic Farm through the Auburn Food Buying Club) and the other option was unrefined coconut oil.  In appearance, the cookies made with lard turned out more rounded and kept their original shape better than did the coconut oil batch.  The husband gave both the taste test and he was not told which cookie contained the lard or coconut oil.  His vote was for the coconut oil batch saying "they were tastier" - so there you have it from someone who loves ginger cookies.  I think the reason for the coconut oil batch being tastier was because the lard batch did have a smell and slight taste of lard which masked the other flavors somewhat.  I could not tell much difference myself.   Either way both were good and healthier versions of the original recipe.  These turned out great!  Hope you'll try them too.  

Please note that some people do not tolerate xylitol as well as others and may experience gastric distress.  Since I have no problems with xylitol, this recipe if fine for me, but just know that everyone is different and you may be one that cannot handle xylitol well.

Here's my adapted recipe from the power bill by Kelly Junkins, Vestavia.

Papa's Favorite Gingersnaps  

3/4 cup lard or coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup Xylitol
1 dropper full of liquid Stevia
4 Tablespoons molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour (I used sprouted spelt flour from To Your Health Sprouted Flour Company)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 325.  Cream together (I just used a spoon and a bowl) the lard or the coconut oil with the Xylitol and Stevia.  Add molasses and egg, mixing well.  By hand, mix in dry ingredients putting in the flour first and the rest of the dry ingredients on top.  Stir together until smooth (resist the urge to add more liquid if seems too dry - once it is well mixed it will be just right).  Roll into one inch balls, put into a bowl with a little Xylitol and roll around to coat, then place the balls on parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake 12 minutes.  Leave cookies on sheet for a few minutes before removing.  Enjoy.  These are best consumed fresh as each day after baking tends to dry out the cookie.

The FDA has discouraged its use but has not put an end to it because bromate was sanctioned for use before 1958.  This is the year that made it possible for food additives to be banned if they caused cancer but since bromate was accepted before 1958 then it will be harder to ban.  

Now you may be wondering where bromate shows up in our food supply.  Mostly, it is added to flours.  Bromate suppose to break down during the baking process but if the product is not baked long enough or hot enough there could still be remaining bromate.  Bakers add bromate to the flour to improve dough quality since it strengthens the dough and allows it to stand up to dough hooks and it reduces the mixing time.  Your health takes a back seat to time and money.  

Bromine is used as an additive in the forms of potassium bromate and brominated vegetable oil. See my post on Brominated Vegetable Oil, or BVO for short, to see if your drink contains this additive.

Not far from my home is a business called "To Your Health Sprouted Flour Company."  I am happy that this company is close so that I can go and pick up their extra healthy sprouted organic freshly milled flour and grain products. 

 This company takes the grains and simply makes them more nutritious than when they arrived.  They sprout the grains (no not until they have green shoots - it's a short sprout time).  Sprouting breaks down phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors.  Humans cannot digest phytate so phosphorus would not be available and furthermore, phytate binds with certain minerals like zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium making them non absorbable also. 

 Peter Reinhart, the famous bread maker, says “When grains are sprouted, starches and proteins are converted into smaller molecules that are easier to digest. That means sprouted breads offer more essential amino acids, minerals, and B vitamins than standard whole-grain varieties. Ounce for ounce, sprouts are the most nutritious of all foods.  A sprouted grain has become, in effect, a vegetable.”    
Go to To Your Health Sprouted Flour Company to learn more.  I deliver these products to Auburn, Alabama once a month.  See the Auburn Food Buying Club for details.

Sprouted flour is my flour of choice in my baking and in my sourdough bread and by the way sourdough bread is the healthiest  bread you can make.  Come to my Sourdough Bread Class to learn why and also to have hands on fun and take home your first homemade loaf.  You can also purchase some sprouted flour at my class.  See you there!  

Photo Credit:  Flickr