Granola makes for a great quick and easy snack or meal. It's easy to pack and carry, stays fresh for a while when sealed well, and can be added to yogurt, milk, ice cream, fruit, and anything else you can think of.
This granola makes me so happy because of the orange carrot pieces, and the crunchy sweet texture. I was just going to call it Carrot Granola but that sounds way too wholesome. So when you're craving carrot cake, try this instead.
For the past several years I've been avoiding grains, so my granola has been grain free, and I have a versatile grain-free granola recipe in my cookbook, Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. That said, there is another diet I'm starting to pay attention to, the IBD-AID diet, which allows oats (SCD is grain free). IBD-AID is derived from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), and is modified based on current research on the human microbiome.
If you're using oats, IBD-AID recommends steel-cut oats and groats, but says rolled oats are ok. I used rolled oats for this recipe. Also, I made sure the oats are certified as gluten free.
If you're following SCD or another grain free diet, just replace 2 cups of oats with a mixture of the nuts and shredded coconut. I've made this granola without the coconut and it came out equally great. So feel free to do your own substituting using your favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.
Deborah Nitzberg says
To clarify the oats, they would need to be rolled oats for this recipe, correct? I eat oat groats but they have to be cooked well, don't think they would work in a granola.
Erica says
Yes, thanks for asking. I used rolled oats for this recipe. I don't know if steel cut oats would work with granola once they are cooked, so yes, you're correct. I'll clarify in the recipe. Thanks ๐
Diane says
Do you soak the nuts prior to using them (forSCD)? If so, do they need to be dried before making the recipe?
Thanks!
Erica says
You can soak the nuts but you don't have to. I don't believe SCD requires that but it can make it easier to digest.