Pistachio Goji Berry Granola

If you dropped in for breakfast on a weekday, chances are I’d offer you oatmeal or granola. More often than not, that’s what we eat for breakfast on busy weekday mornings, along with a huge side of fruit. So this is why I snoop around on grocery store aisles, trying to find new flavor combinations for packaged granola, so I can recreate them at home but with healthy, wholesome and unprocessed ingredients. 

The inspiration for this granola came when I was scrolling through my Facebook feed one day, and saw an ad for a company selling pistachio goji berry bars. Now I really wish I remembered which ad it was, so I can give it proper credit but unfortunately, I don’t. On my next trip to Costco, I chanced upon a bag of dried goji berries and I knew it was a sign. Without wasting further time, I began experimenting on this granola recipe.

Goji berries are considered a superfood, and have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. They are rich in antioxidants, and also contain vitamin C (boosts immunity) and vitamin A (boosts skin and eye health). They taste slightly sweet, but also tart. Paired with pistachios in this recipe, they make for a wholesome, crunchy and satisfying breakfast. I always enjoy granola in a bowl of cold almond milk topped with chopped fruit. 

This is an oil-free recipe that uses aquafaba (chickpea brine) – the liquid that comes from a can of chickpeas. Aquafaba is a great egg substitute in cakes, cookies, meringue and many other recipes. In this recipe, aquafaba is whipped until it becomes light and fluffy and forms semi-stiff peaks or the consistency of whipped egg whites. Then you fold in the dry ingredients, mix it well, bake and voila – you have a yummy, nutritious, guilt-free granola on hand. If you don’t have aquafaba, feel free to sub with a tablespoon of oil. 

Love granola? Here are my other granola recipes:

• Pecan pie granola
• Ginger turmeric granola

Pistachio Goji Berry Granola

Recipe by theplantpaletteblogCourse: Breakfast, Brunch

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

Healthy granola containing a superfood ingredient – goji berries!

Ingredients

• Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

• 1/2 cup pistachios

• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 cup dried coconut slices or coconut flakes

• 1/4 cup hemp seeds

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon oil OR 1/4 cup aquafaba/chickpea brine (oil-free option)

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1/2 cup dried goji berries

Directions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Combine the oats, nuts, coconut flakes, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl.
• For the oil-free version, add aquafaba to the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until it forms semi-stiff peaks. Depending on the speed and strength of the mixer, this could take 5-8 minutes. Add the maple syrup and vanilla to the whipped aquafaba and whisk for another 30 seconds. Then add the aquafaba mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until well coated.
• If using oil, add the oil, maple syrup and vanilla to the oats mixture and mix until well combined.
• Spread evenly on the baking tray.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Once done, remove the granola from the oven and let cool completely. Stir in the goji berries and hemp seeds, and mix. Store the granola in a sealed container. Will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks at room temperature or in the fridge for a month.