Aquafaba Granola with Dates (Oil free)

Do you have any staples in your kitchen that you just cannot go without?

If you don't this recipe might do to you what it did to me. After making this Aquafaba Granola with Dates I was hooked and it's seriously a must have in my kitchen now, I always have it handy for breakfast and sometimes I even have it as a little snack if I am craving something sweet or crunchy. 

One of the most practical breakfast items of all times is granola or cereal with milk, as simple as serve and pour. As a mother, I know that this simple breakfast beats pretty much every other option when it comes to feeding kids, except for pancakes of course, but who has time for pancakes on Tuesday morning?

In recent years it seemed harder and harder to find healthy granola or any type of cereal at the supermarket. Many brands advertise themselves as healthy options but if you look at the labels up close, it's not so much the case. You'll find loads of oil and sugar; two things I don't want to put in my stomach first thing in the morning, especially not in those quantities.

I figured I could play around with different ingredients and come up with a recipe that had what I needed and that it wouldn't be too complicated to make. As simple as it seems, granola can be tricky, you don't want to end up with clusters hard as rock, or a soggy mess that won't hold up when you soak it in almond milk.

I found in the pantry jumbo rolled oats, crushed almonds, pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds, powerhouse of nutrients! Each ingredient has plenty of benefits that will nourish your body first thing in the morning. You can switch them up or use what you have handy, there are many seeds, nuts and even dried fruits that go seemingly well in this mix. 

Now that you have all the dry ingredients ready, all we need to do is get them to stick together, to do that we are making this awesome smooth paste by blending dates and aquafaba and mixing it with the dry ingredients. Then it all goes on a baking sheet and into the oven. 

Using this aquafaba and date paste when making granola is not all that common but the result is really great, you get thick pieces without the need of too much oil and fat. And dates are a nice way to add a touch of sweetness to any recipe, just enough to ease those cravings while adding a slight hint of caramel flavour. We don't need processed sugar at all!

I love how this granola comes out, I usually serve it with almond milk and it is an absolute delight! Sometimes I also have it with a nice and colourful bowl of fruit and a scoop of coconut yogurt. There are so many ways you can utilise granola, especially one as tasty as this one!