My quest for LFG granola ended when I found the one food that could stand up to the mighty oat in taste, texture and chew. Read more to find out what it is.
The food I missed the most (second to bread) on this lectin free diet was GRANOLA. I made a batch with oats every week and ate it almost daily.
I loved the texture, and the sweet and nutty flavor with the occasional hint of salt. I loved the crunchy and chewy combination of ingredients, and I loved the way the house smelled when I made it. I loved everything about granola until I learned that it's a lectin bomb and in-part to blame for my autoimmune trouble.
Damnit! I freakin' love granola! So one of the first things I did on this lectin free plan was go to work in the kitchen perfecting my Lectin Free Gourmet (LFG) granola recipe.
This granola tastes, crunches, chews and satisfies like granola should. When I make it, the house fills with the smell of granola.
If you're ready to find out the "secret" oat substitute for this LFG granola, read more.
What Could Possibly Replace Oats in LFG Granola?
Oats are pretty much the defining ingredients in granola. They are the bulk of the granola. The crunchy, chewy grains are really what make granola, well, granola. I didn't want my LFG granola to just be some grain-free mixture of mediocrity that made me miss granola more.
My new granola had to be special — something I couldn't stop nibbling on, and something I craved. It had to have the same texture, the same chew and the same aromatic waft as the granola I loved.
So my real goal here was to create a main ingredient that would act like an oat, soak up the oil and flavors like an oat, chew like an oat, and be the bulk of the granola like an oat. I experimented a lot and came up with the best (I think) solution. Green bananas! But it's how you prepare them that turns them into Green Banana Oats™
— that is the secret to this amazing granola.
How to Prepare Green Banana Oats™
You'll need a mandolin slicer to get the right thin consistency for your Green Banana Oats™. I have a professional one that I absolutely love. I can do straight cuts, waffle, julienne. Just "dial" the blade and width you want rather that messing with blade attachments. If you need one, here's a similar mandolin slicer on Amazon for an amazing price and free shipping for Amazon Prime members.
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. For one batch, you'll need two very green bananas. Green bananas are starchy, sour and have not yet had a chance to develop sugar.
Cut the tops of the green bananas with a sharp knife. Peel your green bananas all the way off. Unripe, or green, bananas can be hard to peel to go slow. With your thinnest blade setting on your mandolin slicer, start swiping the bananas across the blade directly over your prepared baking sheet to create thin, round green banana slices. Move around so each slice has its own space on the sheet. Please use your finger guard when your bananas get short!!!
With your fingertips, slide the green banana slices into single layered tight rows. The slices should touch, but not overlap. Brush each slice with olive oil. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet 180 degrees after 15 minutes. You'll know your green banana slices are done when they turn a medium, golden brown. Be sure your Green Banana Oats™ are thoroughly dehydrated or they'll make your granola soggy.
LFG Granola Recipe
2 Green Bananas prepared as Green Banana Oats™
1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1 Cup Sliced Blanched Almonds
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1/4 Cup Flax Seeds
1 T Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup
1 T Raw Honey
1 T Olive Oil
1 Pinch Salt
1 t Cinnamon
Step 1: Prepare Green Banana Oats™
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare the green banana "oats" as instructed above, and set aside when done.
Step 2: Combine Granola Ingredients
Turn oven up to 325 when done baking bananas. While the "oats" are baking you can get a medium bowl and combine all the other ingredients except flax seeds (they burn). Add syrup, honey, oil, salt and cinnamon and fold into ingredients until well coated.
Step 3: Bake the Granola
Spread mixture onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (lift the parchment with your Green Banana Oats™ off and reuse the baking sheet to reduce cleanup time). Bake the granola mixture for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Mix Granola, Green Banana Oats™ & Flax Seeds Together
Reuse the medium bowl to fold all the ingredients together including the prepared Green Banana Oats™, the baked granola mixture and add flax seeds until evenly distributed.
This recipe makes about four cups. Let cool completely before storing your LFG granola in an airtight glass canister. This granola keeps for at least a week (or longer, we just eat it too fast) on the counter, but it will keep even longer in the fridge.
Snack on it, eat a bowl of it with compliant milk or half and half for breakfast, or layer it in a yummy yogurt and berry parfait. This LFG Granola is absolutely the best lectin free granola!
ENJOY!