Backyard Orange Granola
My backyard orange tree is producing an abundance of oranges right now. This granola makes use of the whole orange. It's got some added protein and is sweetened only with fresh-squeezed orange juice. Not to mention, it smells pretty amazing while it's baking!
Gather or Buy Oranges
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I'm told the oranges I have are satsumas, they are medium sized with thin skin and are very sweet and ripe even before the skin turns this shade of orange. My recipe used 5 of them, but I measured the output carefully so it can be easily replicated.
Orange parts needed:
Orange parts needed:
- the juices of 5 oranges - 3/4 cup
- the pulp of 5 oranges
- the zest of 3 oranges - 3 tablespoons
Ingredients & Tools
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First I'll list the tools and ingredients and then I'll show the process:
Tools:
- oven preheated to 325 degrees F
- mixing bowl(s)
- blender
- measuring cups & spoons
- spoon & spatula for stirring
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- cheese grater or zester
- large glass jar for storage
Dry ingredient bowl:
- 1.5 cups of rolled oats
- 1/4 cup of soft winter wheat berries (or other grain, like quinoa)
- 2 tablespoons of chia seeds
- 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup of cashews (almonds would probably be good too)
- 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds
- 1/4-1/3 cup of dried cranberries
Wet ingredient bowl:
- 3/4 cup of juice from your oranges
- 2/3 cup of unflavored whey protein powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons orange zest
- pulp of 5 oranges
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- dash of salt
Tools:
- oven preheated to 325 degrees F
- mixing bowl(s)
- blender
- measuring cups & spoons
- spoon & spatula for stirring
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- cheese grater or zester
- large glass jar for storage
Dry ingredient bowl:
- 1.5 cups of rolled oats
- 1/4 cup of soft winter wheat berries (or other grain, like quinoa)
- 2 tablespoons of chia seeds
- 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup of cashews (almonds would probably be good too)
- 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds
- 1/4-1/3 cup of dried cranberries
Wet ingredient bowl:
- 3/4 cup of juice from your oranges
- 2/3 cup of unflavored whey protein powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons orange zest
- pulp of 5 oranges
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- dash of salt
Toast the Oats, Wheat Berries, and Chia Seeds
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread the oats, wheat berries and chia seeds evenly and toast for 15 minutes, stirring once. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees after the oat mixture is done toasting.
Combine Dry Ingredients
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Combine the ground flax seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, and dried cranberries. When the oat mixture is done toasting, stir it into this bowl.
Zest, Juice, & De-seed
Wash your oranges. Use the cheese grater to produce about 3 tablespoons of orange zest.
I used my hands to squeeze 3/4 cups of juice from 5 oranges. There may be a better way to do this ;)
Pick the seeds and pith from the oranges you squeezed. Set the remaining pulp aside for the next step.
I used my hands to squeeze 3/4 cups of juice from 5 oranges. There may be a better way to do this ;)
Pick the seeds and pith from the oranges you squeezed. Set the remaining pulp aside for the next step.
Combine the Wet Ingredients & Bake
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In a bowl (or directly in your blender) combine the juice, pulp, zest, coconut oil, vanilla, and protein powder. Blend the mixture until smooth and then pour it into the dry ingredients. Stir well!
Spread evenly onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes total at 300 degrees (stirring once at the 15 minute mark and once at the 25 minute mark).
Spread evenly onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes total at 300 degrees (stirring once at the 15 minute mark and once at the 25 minute mark).
Enjoy & Store
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After one hour the granola should be cool and dry enough for you to transfer to a large glass jar for storage, but not before you have a taste! I enjoyed mine topped with homemade goat yogurt :)
Notes:
- If you saw my pumpkin protein granola Instructable, I mentioned that protein powder is optional. In this recipe it's not because the protein is necessary to thicken the wet ingredients.
- This granola is not overly sweet. If you like things extra sweet I would suggest adding 1-2 tablespoons of honey to the wet mixture.
- If you don't have or have misplaced your canister coffee grinder, you can grind the flax seeds using your blender.
- I toasted the oat mixture for an extra five minutes because the wheat berries were a little bit hard at 10 minutes. You can reduce the toasting time to ten minutes if you use a different grain.
- When making the recipe, I wanted to think of another flavor besides vanilla to add. Does anyone have advice for what spice might pair well with a creamy orange mixture?
Notes:
- If you saw my pumpkin protein granola Instructable, I mentioned that protein powder is optional. In this recipe it's not because the protein is necessary to thicken the wet ingredients.
- This granola is not overly sweet. If you like things extra sweet I would suggest adding 1-2 tablespoons of honey to the wet mixture.
- If you don't have or have misplaced your canister coffee grinder, you can grind the flax seeds using your blender.
- I toasted the oat mixture for an extra five minutes because the wheat berries were a little bit hard at 10 minutes. You can reduce the toasting time to ten minutes if you use a different grain.
- When making the recipe, I wanted to think of another flavor besides vanilla to add. Does anyone have advice for what spice might pair well with a creamy orange mixture?