Winter warmers: new ways with granola

If you like my Chocolate and seed granola but are finding the current weather conditions a bit chilly in the mornings, try one of my alternative ways to serve it.

Hearty warming porridge topped with Allergy Girl’s Chocolate seeded granola

I make a dairy free porridge using jumbo porridge oats with hemp milk. Once my porridge is cooked I top it with a sprinkling of my granola, which adds a nice bit of crunch, some fresh berries and a drizzle of agave nectar or honey. It keeps me going for ages and is really hearty.

Warm berry compote with Allergy Girl’s Chocolate seeded granola and coconut yogurt

This is super easy and great for a cold morning when you need extra time to go out and scrape the ice off the windscreen!

I buy a bag of frozen mixed berries from Sainsbury’s. I’m the morning I grab a handful of frozen berries and zap them in the microwave on full power for 60-90 seconds. Then I add a generous portion of granola and top with a dollop of Alpro coconut yogurt. Perfect!

How do you like to serve your granola in the morning? I’d love to hear your favourite ways!

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Tried and tested: Creative Nature Superfoods Salted Caramel Flapjack

I’ve previously tested Creative Nature a Superfoods Raw Cacao Superfood Flapjack, so I thought I’d give the Salted Caramel Flapjack a whirl. And ohmygod it’s great.

It’s full of crunchy seeds, with no added refined sugars – the sweetness all comes from the dates. The touch of pink salt added to the dates creates a marriage made in heaven.

The packaging is slightly confusing as it states in the front that it is peanut free, but doesn’t mention other nuts.

There are no nuts in the recipe but I’m guessing because this is made in a factory that handles nuts they can’t guarantee it is nut free.

The flapjack didn’t last long, which is testament to how good it tastes. It feels like an indulgent treat, which in my opinion is what a good healthy snack should be. I often need a little something to keep me going on my commute home or before exercise (which is why my photos often feature train tray tables), and these flapjacks are just the ticket! Filling enough, but not too heavy.

I’m extremely grateful to Creative Nature Superfoods for creating a range of good quality, good value products that suit my strange combination of allergies. And did I mention they taste great?

Tried and tested: Creative Nature Superfoods Raw Cacao flapjack

Hooray!!! A raw energy bar that doesn’t have nuts in it!!! 

I found this little beauty at the counter of Vital Ingredient, and couldn’t resist trying it out.
I was feeling a little peckish before my kickboxing class yesterday so saw this as the perfect opportunity to try it.  

The texture is good. It’s not dry like some raw energy bars, which makes it easy to eat before and during exercise.  The cacao nibs give it a nice little crunch.  It’s not too sweet, as there is no added sugar, just the sweetness from the dates and cacao.  

I’d like to try this on a long run before I say for sure that’s it’s a good energy bar for me, but in terms of an Allergy Girl-friendly snack it ticks all the boxes! 

Sorry I didn’t get a picture of the bar itself, I’d already hoovered it up before I remembered to get a picture! 

Tried and tested: Ombar Centres Coconut and Vanilla

Growing up, my earliest memory of dairy free chocolate was a carob Easter egg that my mum bought at Holland and Barrett. It was nice, but very plain compared with the fabulous Cadbury’s and Nestle eggs I saw in the shops.  At Christmas, Allergy Boy and I would hunt through the tin of Roses trying to find the Bournevilles, which we didn’t really like (they were too bitter), but ate anyway because we didn’t want to be left out.

When we got a little bit older we found that we could eat After Eights and Fry’s Peppermint Cream, so it was lucky we liked mint!

Dairy free chocolate has come on leaps and bounds since the 1980s.  Dark chocolate has never been more popular, and with the recent craze for clean eating and raw foods, cacao and coconut milk are adding another dimension to my chocolate experience (not to mention inches to my waistline)!

Grabbing a dairy free salad-to-go from Vital Ingredient in Trump St, City of London, I couldn’t resist trying one of these Ombars.  Dairy free, no refined sugar, raw chocolate, coconut and vanilla, no nuts – perfect for Allergy Girl!

So I’m sat on my commute home trying to forget about the inconvenience of the Waterloo upgrade by testing this little chocolate bar, and it’s a dream!

It’s been in my bag, so it’s a bit squidgy to touch and probably could have done with spending some time in the fridge, but that doesn’t deter me. I break off a chunk and find a gooey, creamy centre. On first appearance the centre doesn’t seem overly generous but it’s so rich and creamy that it’s plenty.

The chocolate itself is creamy, the coconut flavour not overpowering as it can sometimes be.  The hint of vanilla comes through, but if I didn’t know it was there I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you it was vanilla.  That aside, I can’t complain other than to say damn you Ombar, I could be easily tempted to go back for more!

P.s. While writing this I discovered that Ombar autocorrects to zombie on my iPhone!

Tried and tested: Protein Haus Vegan Protein Bounty

First things first, I’m not Vegan. It’s just a good starting point if I’m looking for food without dairy or eggs. I do have to be careful and read the labels as a lot of Vegan things have nuts in them. Luckily for me, this bad boy didn’t (but shame about the Vegan Protein ‘Snickers’ bar, which was laden with pesky peanuts)! 

I’ll move to the price. Three of my hard earned British pounds. I could buy three items from the McDonald’s Poundsaver Menu. Or borrow three supermarket trolleys.  £3 seems a lot for a lump of coconut and chocolate. 

Sat on the train, I open the little plastic bag to free my afternoon snack from its packaging. I’m not ready for the slidy, melty chocolate that ensues and quickly place my Bounty on the plastic packaging, narrowly missing the train’s tray table (thank god, imagine what nastiness is lurking there).  I now have chocolate all over the outside of the plastic packaging.

I lick my fingers, take a hold of my Bounty and take my first bite.  The texture is good, if a little crumbly, and I find myself trying not to shower my lap in desiccated coconut. Back to the plastic packing. Fingers licked again. I take in the taste, which is creamy, coconutty, chocolatey yumminess! I’ve tried making low sugar Vegan Bounty bars at home and mine were not a patch on this. 

After my second bite I find more chocolate on my hands. The heat of the train and warmth of my fingers every time I pick it up is making things worse. I manage to find a (used) tissue in my jacket pocket. Not great, but it’ll do.

There’s about half of it left now, and half the chocolate has melted from the bottom onto the plastic packaging. There’s only one thing for it. I shove the rest of it in my mouth. 

Despite all the melting on the outside and crumbling of the inside it really is delicious.  However, I’d have to take out a second mortgage if this was any more than a rare treat, so I might just go back to making my own! 

Protein Haus Vegan Protein Bounty

About to give this a try on my commute home……

Allergy Girl’s chocolate and coconut seedy granola

This nut and dairy free granola recipe is also low in sugar and grain free, although you can pimp it to add whatever you fancy!

Ingredients 
1 x 500ml bag of Holland and Barrett Oh My Omega Megamix (or other mixed seeds) 

Coconut flakes (as many as you like, depending on taste)

Maple Syrup (you could also use agave or honey)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2-3 tablespoons cocoa or cacao powder, depending on taste)

Method

1. Heat oven to 160 (fan oven)
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a roasting tray/baking tray
3. Add a good squeeze of the maple syrup and stir. Make sure all the ingredients are coated. Add more as desired. 
4. Add the coconut oil (it is easier if this goes in warm) and mix together.
5. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 mins, stirring mixture halfway.
6. Remove mixture from oven and stir again.
7. Cool and store in an air proof container. 

If you want to add grains to your granola with you could try things like oats or rye. To make it even more tropical you could add some dried pineapple and papaya. 

Serve with your favourite fresh fruit and a dollop of Alpro Coconut Yogurt for a delicious breakfast!