“Remember the days when you let your child have some chocolate if he finished his cereal? Now, chocolate is one of the cereals.”
― Robert Orben
Just when you thought you’d never, ever be able to have granola again, with a little bit of magic, here I am with a recipe to tempt your breakfast taste buds… And, it’s even chocolate flavoured. Yep. I kid you not.
You are not hallucinating!
But, to get to the nuts of this story – the tigernuts, that is – I need to back up the bus a little…
I won me some tigernuts.
One of my Instagram buddies, @solefirewellness entered me (and the delectable @amannda_whatcanyoueat) into the Tree Amigos tiger nut competition over at Terra Firma Foods.
And we won! My first ever tiger nut experience. Thanks Terra Firma Foods!
Incidentally, if you’re not following me on Instagram, do head on over to @joannafrankham
So, when my tigernuts arrived. I was honestly a little bit excited – I’ve seen all my AIP buddies in the northern hemisphere rhapsodise over these wee beasties and yet I had never sampled. Now it was my turn.
But, just what are tigernuts, anyway?
Tigernuts are not actually nuts at all. Nor do they come from tigers (phew!) Rather, they are a tuber that grows below ground. They have all the nutrients and energy benefits of nuts, but without the stuff that can adversely affect allergies. Perfect for those of us following the Autoimmune Protocol, really.
They also contain ample levels of soluble fiber, which can be helpful for feeding our gut flora.
Now, in the interests of being a good AIP foot soldier, I should throw in here that encouraging you to eat a granola, albeit an AIP-friendly one, is not exactly in the spirit of the AIP template. Sure, there’s prebiotic fiber, but there’s also sugar.
And, then there’s the fact that granola is usually eaten with fruit.
All good and tasty stuff, but definitely not the most nutrient dense option. Wilted kale, anyone?
Having said that, the very occasional treat is good for the soul. Isn’t it?
So, indulging in this baby is my way of living on the AIP edge. You know you want to!
Here in Australia (and in New Zealand, too), you can order your tigernuts online through Terra Firma Foods.
- 400g peeled tigernuts
- 1½ cups coconut flakes
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon carob powder
- zest of one orange
- pinch of salt
- Heat your oven to 180°C/ 360° F. Line a rimmed baking tray with baking paper.
- optional: Pulse your tigernuts in your food processor a few times to break them up.
- Pop your tiger nuts and coconut flakes into a bowl and give a stir.
- Heat the coconut oil, maple syrup, carob, orange zest and salt in a small pot over a medium heat, stirring constantly. When melted and mixed, pour into the bowl. Stir until combined.
- Spread evenly onto baking tray.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Stir. Bake for a further 8 minutes, until golden brown.
- Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
- Serve with your choice of fruit.
*for the uninitiated, jaffa flavour is chocolate-orange
E N J O Y !
This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable.
Thanks Jo, can’t wait to get my hands on these tiger nuts & make the granola?
What’s 400 g of tigernuts in Cups? Thanks!
Karen – in tigernuts, about 2 heaped cups.
You’re saving my life right now. I was thinking about aip granola today. I didn’t know there is one already!Awesome recipe!
I hope you enjoy it, Weronika!