Healthy Vision Recipe: Citrus and Sesame Granola

Are you looking for a recipe filled with nutritious foods for building and maintaining eye health? We're sharing another recipe today from EyeCare America, a public service program of The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, that will do just that.

Citrus and Sesame Granola

Ingredients:

• 2 lemons, zested
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1½ oranges, zested and juiced
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup pure maple syrup (or ¼ cup maple and ¼ cup honey)
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups organic rolled oats
• 1 cup raw cashews
• ½ cup raw almonds or pecans
• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup raw sesame seeds
• ½ cup unsweetened dried coconut
• ¼ cup flaxseed, ground
• ¼ cup wheat germ
• 1 cup dried fruit (preferably peaches,
• apricots, and papaya)
• ½ cup plain or flavored organic kefir

 
Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir zest, juice, extra virgin olive oil, syrup, egg whites and vanilla together in a medium sized bowl.
3. In a large bowl mix the oats, ½ of the nuts, ½ the sunflower seeds, all the sesame seeds and the coconut. Stir in syrup mixture.
4. Spread thinly on two cookie sheets covered in parchment paper, or tinfoil for easy cleanup. Bake for 15 minutes then stir granola on trays with a wooden spoon.
5. Continue to bake for seven more minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool.
6. Stir in remaining nuts, flax seed, wheat germ and dried fruit.
7. When completely cooled, store in airtight containers and enjoy for up to a month, or keep in freezer for up to six months.
8. Serve with organic kefir.