Healthy Granola Recipe with Hemp Hearts and Coconut Oil

May 27, 2015 by Janice

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Packed with omegas and protein, this unbelievably delicious granola features hemp heart seeds and is sweetened with dates, maple syrup and coconut oil. And – as if that wasn’t enough yum – macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds add even more flavour to this sweet and crunchy granola. Thanks to Manitoba Harvest for inspiring and sponsoring this Hemp Hearts recipe.

Hello Hemp!

If you haven’t brought hemp into your kitchen yet, let me introduce you…

Hemp is a super plant — a sustainable crop that produces a versatile plant that can be used to make food, clothing, rope, paper, building material, paint, fuel, and more.

And fortunately, this super plant has Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods dedicated to spreading the news about how healthy and fabulous hemp food is.

I have to say — I am almost as excited about the folks at Manitoba Harvest as I am about hemp food itself. They really are an ethical, inspiring organization.

Manitoba Harvest’s mission is:

“To manufacture and market the highest quality hemp food products, to educate on the health and environmental benefits of hemp, and to strive for sustainability in all that we do.”

The Manitoba Harvest team calls themselves “control freaks,” controlling “everything from what seed gets planted, to how products are manufactured & packaged, to distribution.”

They use only non-GMO seed from Canadian farmers and 65% of all seeded hemp acres in Canada last year were seeded for Manitoba Harvest.

As a consumer, it is a relief to know that a company is committed to providing the highest quality food possible while also remaining passionate about using green energy and reducing their organization’s energy pollution. Their facility has even earned an external global “gold stamp” in food safety and quality from the BRC (British Retail Consortium) Certification.

Just Add Hemp

The hemp seed is at the top part of the hemp plant and can be used to create products like Hemp Hearts, hemp protein powder, and hemp oil.

I have been a fan of hemp hearts for a few years. I love to add them to recipes or sprinkle them on cereal or salads.

These little seeds add incredible nutrition easily (and deliciously!) to almost any meal of the day. From smoothies, to baking, to salads, and pretty much anything else you can think of, hemp seeds add a nutty flavour while powering up your food with extra omegas, fiber, and protein.

The 411 on Hemp Hearts…

Great tasting – Hemp Hearts have a slightly nutty taste, similar to a sunflower seed or pine nut.

Easy to use – Simply sprinkle Hemp Hearts on salad, cereal & yogurt, add to smoothies and recipes, or eat them straight from the package.

Nutritious – per 30 gram serving, Hemp Hearts contain 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of Omegas. Hemp Hearts have more protein and omegas and less carbs than the same serving of chia or flax.

Go Granola

My kids and I are obsessed with granola.

And the best part is, my kids prefer to eat their granola with plain yogurt. (Yes, my children actually prefer plain yogurt to flavoured. Go figure.)

So, when I was deciding what kind of Hemp Hearts recipe to create for this post, I kept coming back to granola.

The Manitoba Harvest recipe page on their website has a few different recipes for granola, but I wanted to mix things up and make a granola that was different from any I have had before.

I wanted to bring in my favourite food pairing with oats – DATES – to sweeten my granola. And not just little chunks of dates added to the mix. My vision was for total date IMMERSION.

Yes, I made a delectable date puree with coconut oil and a bit of maple syrup to act as my wet ingredients, coating each piece of granola goodness with the succulence of dates.

Then, to take my granola over the top, I didn’t just add the usual almonds. Nope, I went for my two favourite nuts – Macadamia Nuts and Hazelnuts – and crushed those gems up to spread their yumminess throughout my mix.

Next, I added pumpkin seeds. I love pumpkin seeds, so I couldn’t leave them out of my ultimate granola mix.

I also used a ton of cinnamon, because I think you really need to taste the cinnamon in granola. And since cinnamon is good for us, it is a total win-win situation.

Of course, the starring role goes to the Hemp Hearts themselves. Those nuggets of nutty-flavoured nutrition take this granola to an all time high and make me all kinds of in love with this granola.

I Could Barely Photograph It…

My kids stood waiting in the kitchen, like seagulls ready to swoop down and steal the granola bounty as soon as I pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven.

I couldn’t even take any photos before they dove in.

So, to appease them, I served them each a generous helping before I carried the rest up to my studio to shoot in safety, nibbling as I went.

(Since it was still warm from the oven and it was after dinner, I actually served the granola for them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, instead of the usual plain yogurt. SO good!)

As I was photographing, my daughter kept calling out to me, begging me to hurry up and finishing photographing so she could have more.

Yes, this granola is kid approved.

Sweet and Crunchy Granola Recipe with Hemp Hearts

4.63 from 27 votes

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Course: Breakfast

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Author: Janice Croze

Ingredients

1 cup Hemp Hearts
4 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup crushed or finely chopped macadamia nuts
2/3 cup crushed or finely chopped hazelnuts
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar optional
1/4 cup cinnamon
1 tsp salt
10 pitted dates
1/3 cup coconut oil melted
1/4 cup hemp oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cups dried cranberries optional add in after baking granola

Instructions

Preheat oven to *325
In large bowl mix together hemp hearts, rolled oats, crushed/chopped nuts, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and optional brown sugar/coconut sugar
In a food processor or blender, puree dates with 1 tablespoon of hot water, vanilla extract, maple syrup and melted coconut oil
Add date puree mixture to oat mixture and toss to combine well
Spoon onto two parchment lined cookie sheets
Bake for 20-30 minutes - or until lightly golden
Cool for about 45 minutes and then store in air-tight container

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About Janice

Janice is co-founder of 5 Minutes For Mom. She's been working online since 2003 and is thankful her days are full of social media, writing and photography.

4.63 from 27 votes (5 ratings without comment)