Unsweetened applesauce works well as a substitute for oil in granola although I don't care for a 100% substitution. But you could easily reduce the oil by 50%-75% without giving up any "crunch".

To reduce "sweetness" use homemade dried strawbery slices, thin banana chips, dried blueberries, unsweetened coconut, etc. rather than higher sugar dried pineapple, papaya, and/or dates.

I sometimes substitute peanut butter for canola oil in my granolas...increases the protein. I also use a variety of seeds & nuts. I know they have fat but it's supposed to be 'good for you' fat?!

/tricia

I have this one and it's pretty good. I'm not wild about the rice krispies and keep thinking I'll replace them with something else, but I haven't figured out what to replace them with. It's still OK with them, but I'm leaning toward replacing them with frosted mini-wheat cereal.

Homemade Granola

POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Each 1/2-cup serving of this healthy, homemade granola is drastically lower in fat than most store-bought varieties.

 3 cup uncooked quick oats
 2 oz ready-to-eat crisp rice cereal, about 2 cups
 6 Tbsp honey
 1 tsp canola oil
 1/4 cup apple juice
 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
 1/2 tsp ground ginger
 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
 1/4 cup slivered almonds
 1/4 cup dried cranberries
 1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix uncooked oats and puffed rice cereal together and spread on a non-stick baking sheet with sides; bake for 10 minutes, stirring once.

Meanwhile, mix honey, oil, apple juice, spices and vanilla together in a cup. When oats and puffed rice are done, spoon into a large bowl; set pan aside. Add almonds to cereal mixture and stir to combine. Pour honey-spice mixture over cereal mixture and mix thoroughly to distribute and coat completely; spread mixture back over pan.

Return pan to oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, stirring every few minutes. Remove from oven and spoon back into bowl. (Note: Be careful that granola doesn't burn - especially cereal along sides of pan.)

Stir raisins and cranberries into mixture; let cool. Store in an airtight container. Yields about a half cup per serving.

Annie

This is an old Eating Well granola (from the original Eating Well, not the revival magazine). It uses no additional oil, though of course there are fats from the nuts and seeds. But the flavor is wonderful; I've made it for years, usually a double batch and freeze one. It also makes good gifts.

I have found the original recipe is too sweet for my taste. I never use the brown sugar. I cut the apple juice concentrate to 1/4 or 1/3 cup and add water to make 1/2 cup. I usually use the honey, but sometimes not. It's pretty flexible and nutrient dense. Watch carefully or it will scorch.

Blue Hill Granola

Recipe By :Eating Well
Serving Size : 10
Categories : Breakfast Dishes Snacks

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup apple-juice concentrate
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried blueberries or cranberries
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup snipped dried apricots

In a mixing bowl, stir together oats, brown sugar, walnuts, seeds and cinnamon.

In a small bowl mix apple-juice concentrate, honey and vanilla. Drizzle over the cereal and stir to coat. Spread the mixture onto a large baking sheet with sides. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375º, stirring every 5 to 7 minutes, until the granola is crisp and golden.

Transfer the granola to the mixing bowl and stir in dried fruits.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Carol

I just use pureed banana with a bit of cinnamon, ground flax, sesame seeds, a handful of unsweetened coconut flakes to bake in low heat in the oven until they become crunchy. It's very low in fat and not sweet at all. Applesauce will do too but the chunks tend to be much bigger and a lot harder. Anyway, once the granola is done you can add whatever you want into it. I like to put some bran flakes (store bought), raisins, slivered almonds or sunflower seeds in with the granola. Since I started making my own version of granola, my husband has given up on his very expensive and not so healthy Kashi cereals for good.

These all sound very good. So that I can serve them with the lowest possible carb content, does anyone know if these are ADA friendly or if carb exchanges are available?

Tricia, peanut butter could be good protein, please post your recipe (and which brand of peanut butter used)too!

Alison's No Oil Granola

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts - pecan, walnuts or almonds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup or a little less, to taste

Toss all together in a large bowl. Spread 1/2-inch thick on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 3 cups.

I would think you could add chopped dried fruit to this after it has cooled.

Teresa

I heat some water to boiling in the microwave then add raw Quaker old fashioned oats to it. I pour off the water then the oatmeal is heated but still has the chewy taste.
Quaker oats are far superior to store brand. They are thicker and don't fall apart as much.
Then I add whatever: brown sugar, butter, dried fruit, nuts, coconut, fresh fruit, etc.
It's not granola but it's not mushy cooked oatmeal either.