Homemade oat & wheat germ granola with goat’s yogurt and berries

This recipe is part of a series of dishes that Jennifer and I created together.
Jennifer Cauli is a friend and a talented food & travel photographer who also comes from Italy. Together we joined forces to create a series of recipes (and pictures) that would use some typical Italian ingredients, but would also have a contemporary and healthy twist.
We are very happy of our project and we hope to continue offering you great recipe ideas.

Granola is a great breakfast option which can be easily personalized by adding your favourite fruit, milk, a smoothie to it. The problem with granola brands you find in supermarkets is that they often contain high amounts of refined sugars.
We all know sugar is not a healthy ingredient for many reasons, one of these reasons —the one related to our immune system— is that sugar gets the priority to enter our cells on nutrients like vitamin C. Crazy, right?! And since vitamin C is essential for our immune system, we better reduce sugar consumption, in order to allow vitamin C to get absorbed into our cells.

The main ingredients for the granola are rolled oats and wheat germ. We came up with the idea of adding wheat germ to the mix because it is a very nutritious ingredient which often gets discarded during the milling process. Wheat germ is literally the germinating part of the seed that turns into a plant, therefore it is highly nutritious, packed with minerals such as zinc —an essential nutrient for our immune system.
Nuts and seeds were also added to the mix for their beautiful texture and their vitamins, minerals and healthy fats content.

Then you have goat’s yogurt. Yogurt is a fermented food, a great source of probiotics, those friendly microorganisms that help support our gut health and our immune system. If you are ok with dairy or you only have a mild sensitivity to it, you may want to try goat’s yogurt instead of a regular yogurt. According to research, goat’s milk contains less casein and lactose than cow’s milk, and it is high in nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, omega-3, vitamin B12, vitamin D.
Note: In case of a proper dairy allergy or a strong sensitivity, please use a plant-based yogurt alternative.

Fresh fruit is a very important part of a healthy breakfast —and you could add potentially more fruit to this recipe. We chose a variety of berries since they are rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and they are low in sugar.

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 20 min
Servings: 2

GRANOLA

30g wheat germ
30g oats
20g mixed seeds
20g almonds and walnuts 
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1tbs honey
10ml water
25ml coconut oil
240g goat’s milk natural yoghurt 
mixed berries
1 tsp honey 

For the granola. First thing preheat the oven to 200ºC 

Roughly chop the walnuts and almonds. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, wheat germ, mix seeds, honey, almonds and walnuts, cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, honey and water. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, and mix until evenly blended. 

Spread the compost on a baking tray covered in parchment, to form an even layer. Cook for about 15minutes. 

Split the yoghurt into two bowls and add in the berries.

Sprinkle some of the granola. Drizzle some honey on the top if you wish for extra sweetness and et voila’. 

If you have any granola left, place it in a airtight container. That can be used for up to one month.