Tahini Granola

I've mentioned in a past recipe post about my love for granola and developing a recipe that was MUCH lower in fat and sugar than the store bought stuff. Our family goes through a batch of granola every week; it is our breakfast staple. I recently read about a recipe that used tahini instead of butter. 

Tahini is used predominantly in Middle Eastern dishes. Since hummus is a must in our house, tahini is a staple that is always in the refrigerator.  I thought I'd give it a go and adapt it into my "usual" granola recipe. It turned about to be delicious!  

As well as tasting great, tahini has many health benefits. Tahini packs a punch when it comes to B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15. When consuming 35 grams of tahini, it also meets 35% of your daily calcium intake. According to Natural News, "many people believe that tahini has a higher concentration of calcium than any other food."

Tahini Granola 
((Printable Recipe))

Ingredients:
8 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup raw honey
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup chopped raw almonds
1/3 cup chopped raw walnuts
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup raw coconut (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.

2. In a small sauce pan, on low heat, warm the tahini, molasses, raw honey, cinnamon, and orange juice together.

3. Mix the oats, almonds, walnuts, flax seed, wheat germ, and coconut together and divide between two rimmed sheet pans. Pour the tahini/sugar mixture between the two pans of granola. With a flat bottomed spatula (or your hands) mix the tahini/sugar mixture into the oats. (You can find a picture of me doing this here.) Or you can bake in a large cast iron skillet.

4. Cook for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. Rotate the pans every 15 minutes as well. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Other Granola recipes of mine you may enjoy:
Original Low-Fat Granola
Coconut Maple Granola
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
Granola Pancakes
Granola Cast Iron Skillet Apple Bread
Nutty Pumpkin Pie Granola

Linked to: Midnight Maniac