Thank you so much to Michael Maldonado for inviting me to teach again at the Jamaica FEAST program this past Sunday. I had a wonderful time going over Menu Planning and Pricing with a great group of inquisitive culinary entrepreneurs.

Recently my Mom has discovered she’s become gluten intolerant. She’s been having a hard time finding gluten free substitutions for pasta and bread that she likes. She also loves granola almost every morning on top of her hot oatmeal or yoghurt. I decided to help by creating a gluten free recipe for her with everything she likes.

Regular rolled are are naturally gluten free. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barely and rye. So why can’t Quaker call their oats gluten free? Because the oats are grown in fields with other grains and processed on equipment with other grains that leads to cross contamination. In order for a product to be labeled gluten free the growing, harvesting and processing process must be free of cross contamination. For most people who are gluten intolerant regular Quaker Oats is ok, but if you suffer from Celiac disease the trace amounts of cross contamination can cause a reaction. Quaker Oats has a couple products as of now that are Gluten Free, but not rolled oats which are needed for this recipe. Bob’s Red Mill

and Trader Joe’s currently have gluten free rolled oats.

My Mom loves dark chocolate, so what better way to make her love this granola than to add cocoa nibs to the recipe. Not familiar with cocoa nibs, well you are in for a treat.

Cocoa Nibs are the crushed shells of the cacao bean, what we get chocolate from. Cocoa Nibs are rich in antioxidants and are being touted as a new “superfood”.

I started with a granola recipe I created for one of my Executive Chefs 10 years ago when he wanted to have a healthier breakfast option. I had already cut out a lot of sugar and replaced it with fresh orange juice. I took out even more sugar for this recipe and added orange zest to boost the flavor.

There is usually oil in granola recipes. I used canola oil in my old version and even though that’s a healthier fat, I wanted to see if the recipe would work and still taste good without the fat at all.

The results – awesome tasting healthier granola!

The only difference is because of the very low sugar, this granola doesn’t have clumps. I offered to redo the recipe and add back some of the sugar, but my Mother insisted No. She liked it the way it was and actually preferred it without the hard clumps.

Hope you enjoy it too!

Avec Amour, Victoria & Alexander

Grandma Love’s Gluten Free Granola

Yield – About 1 Pound 12 ounces

4 Cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats

1/4 Cup Gluten Free Flaxseed Meal (I used Trader Joe’s)

1/3 Cup Pumpkin Seeds

1 Cup Almonds, raw sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons Orange Zest

Juice of 1 medium Naval Orange with pulp

2 Tablespoons Orange Blossom Honey

1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar, tightly packed

1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup Golden Raisins

3 Tablespoons Cocoa Nibs

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl stir together oats, meal and pumpkin seeds, set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, combine zest, orange juice, honey & light brown sugar

over low heat until it comes to a simmer,

pour over oats and toss to coat.

3. Pour onto a half sheet pan lined with a silpat or piece of parchment, spread evenly and press down.

Bake for 15 minutes, add almonds,

bakes 10 minutes, stir, bake another 10 minutes until oats are golden brown,

let cool, stir in cranberries, raisins and nibs, store in an airtight container.

Please feel free to tailor the recipe to your liking, for instance 1/2 cup dried cherries instead of cranberries, etc.