3 Healthy Oat Recipes

Raw (or cooked), wheat-free granola

Here is our (alright, my little brother's) recipe for granola. This granola, unlike most others, is wheat- free. There is no flour in it, so it's much more crumbly than traditional granola, especially when raw. We originally would bake it and eat it with milk, but then my grandmother discovered how good it is raw, and so now I like it far better that way. Enjoy!
(By the way, in case you can't tell, this is the mega batch version we make for our family (for the curious, it lasts us about three and a half breakfasts). Of course, you could cut it down to a smaller size if you'd like, but it keeps quite well on the counter, even when raw.)

30 c. uncooked oats (two 15 c. containers)
2 c. honey
7 prunes (my grandmother didn't put any in hers)
1 T. vanilla
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 c. dry coconut, optional
Raisins or Craisins (The latter are really delicious in it.)
2 c. coconut oil
Walnuts, optional
Sliced or chopped almonds, optional

Mix all ingredients together, first blending the prunes until fine. Now, you have a choice- you can bake it and eat it with milk, the traditional way, or you can just leave it raw, and serve on top of vanilla yogurt, or with milk.
As with the raw cookies, my reaction was something along the lines of "who would ever want to eat raw granola". But my grandmother, who originally discovered how good it is raw, convinced me to try some, and I've loved it ever since. (Be careful- this is so good on yogurt that it gets addictive! I think I like it even better than our yogurt banana split.)

Hope you enjoy this cool and convenient breakfast/ snack/ treat! Granola is capable of endless variations, so if you come up with some good ones, please share them in a comment! I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

     (Since writing the above, I have discovered another way of making delicious and healthy granola in small quantities...  here are the directions:
Pour a single serving of flaked oats (old fashioned) into a bowl.  Add plain yogurt until it reaches the desired consistency- some people like it more gooey, and others prefer it kind of dry.  Mix in just enough honey to make it almost as sweet as you want the end result (don't make it quite as sweet as you want unless you skip the last step.)  Add whatever else you like in granola to the mix now- walnuts (delicious!), sunflower seeds, craisins, raisins, other dried fruit or nuts, coconut, etc.  Top with a drizzle of honey and enjoy!  This recipe could also be made with milk.  To make it even healthier, you could mix the oats and yogurt, and then soak overnight in the fridge, but this would likely make the oats mushy.)

Raw Oatmeal cookies

When LilyAnn excitedly told me one afternoon that: "Mama's making oatmeal cookies- and they're raw!", my initial reaction was something along the lines of "What?! Raw oatmeal cookies! Yuck!" (not in those words!). But that lasted for about 1 minute- exactly how long it took for me to wash up from being outside, walk into the kitchen, and spot the little cookies, appealingly dressed in their pretty pink paper mini cupcake holders, dusted in cinnamon or cocoa, and with an almond perched on top. Mama promptly offered me one, and the last trace of disgust vanished immediately afterwards. (Daddy's reaction, I may add, was similar to my own.) So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the healthiest, quickest, easiest, oatmeal cookies ever- which also happen to be remarkably tasty.
So, without further ado, here's the recipe:

Raw Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup honey

1 cup almonds or peanuts (we used almonds)

1 t. vanilla

dash of salt

Blend together all of the above until smooth.

2 cups oats, divided

Nuts, raisins, cocoa, cinnamon for garnishing.

Blend 1 cup oatmeal in a food processor or blender until it becomes fine flour. Mix it and the other 1 cup of oatmeal with the rest of the ingredients. Shape into balls and garnish by dusting with cinnamon or cocoa, and placing an almond or raisin on top.

And now for the third recipe, which we received in an email a while back, and I've adapted slightly:

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies (with Honey)

Dry ingredients

· 1 cup whole wheat flour (a pinch more depending on the moisture of the mix)

· 1 1/2 cups of Large Flake Rolled Oats (smaller flake is ok too)

· 1/2 tsp baking soda

· 1/2 tsp baking powder

· 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup loose brown sugar (if you're not using honey, see below)

· 1 Tbsp Cinnamon

· 1/2 tsp Nutmeg (optional)

Wet ingredients

· 1/2 cup honey  (you could use brown sugar instead if you are out of honey, or don't like the taste)

· 1/2 cup oil (corn, grapeseed, coconut or olive) * you can also use some applesauce to replace some of the oil if you wish*  (though I've never done it)

· 1 Tablespoon Molasses

· 1 egg (beat with 1 Tbsp Water)

· 1 tsp Vanilla

Yummy ingredients (optional- you can do one or several or none of these)

1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

· 1/2 cup raisins

· 1/2 cup walnuts

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.

2. In a medium bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together. Hint:  measur the honey after the oil, and use the same cup.  The oil will coat the inside of the cup, and your honey won't stick as much).

3.Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff. Add the raisins and walnuts and mix. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn't binding together very well, you may wish to add an egg white.

4. COOL the mix for 20 minutes in the fridge.  (This is actually optional, but it does make the dough less sticky.)

5. Preheat the oven to 335 degrees (lower temperature due to the honey in the recipe which will burn more easily).

6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto your baking sheet. Press down with a fork to ensure even cooking.  (Or just shape them with your hands- this is how I do it.)

How to make food not stick to a baking stone:  Rub it before baking with cornmeal, and then put your dough on top.  (Credit goes to my aunt for this infomation.  Thank you!)

7. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until golden on the bottom of the cookie. The cookies freeze very well and make a great snack! Enjoy.

The finished product!  (It seems that the ones made with brown sugar instead of honey spread more.  The honey version barely spread out at all, and are more "cakey".)