Maple Roasted Red Lentil Granola with almonds & toasted coconut.  A high protein, high fibre vegan way to start your day.

I am always up for a challenge - especially one involving food.

Canadian Lentils posed a challenge to come up with creative ways to use lentils. From desserts to appies to everything in between, the challenge was to find new and interesting ways to incorporate lentils into your day to day cooking.  In the past, we have not been big lentil consumers around this house.  The exception probably comes during our monthly fix of Indian cuisine when we order Dal just because we think it makes our order of "every animal protein bathing in deliciousness" with a side of 27 pieces Garlic Naan seem somehow more balanced.

My vegan-leaning sister swears by lentils as a high protein substitute for meat so she was my first call as I tried several lentil recipes over the last few weeks.   I was pleasantly surprised with how most of them turned out. They certainly worked great as a potato substitute in a perogy you may see here shortly and I made a cauliflower & bacon lentil soup inspired by Todd & Diane's recipe in Food and Wine.

All fantastic.  It seems like no matter how you prepare them, lentils are a staple in the space of comfort food.

It was ultimately the Maple Roasted Red Lentil Granola that was my favourite use though. I think the cooking method is key to ensure they get crispy and flaky and red lentils are definitely the ones that will yield the best results.  Just a handful of ingredients like maple, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon are all you will need to balance the already earthy flavour of the red lentils.

If you love granola, this is a great way to enjoy it with a much high protein & fibre component. Give it a try and if you like it, pop on over to Canadian Lentils and let them know.

Enjoy!

Maple Roasted Red Lentil Granola

Author: sixtyone45.com

A vegan, low carb, high protein, high fibre granola.

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/3 cups of red lentils, rinsed
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons oilve or sunflower oil
• 1/2 cup roasted whole almonds
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Add the lentils to a pot of boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes until just tender.
3. Drain lentils and spread out on a cookie sheet. Place in fridge for ten minutes to cool.
4. While lentils are cooling, whisk together maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and oil in a medium bowl. Add the cooled lentils and stir to combine well.
5. Spread the lentils on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet or baking tray (you may need two if your cookie sheets are smaller). Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. For the last 15 minutes, add the almonds and coconut.
7. Cook and store in an air tight container.

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