Ah, the eternal struggle to pack in enough protein at breakfast. We’re pretty hooked on granola, which is an easy thing to grab on chaotic mornings when rushing out the door. The issue is that most supermarket versions have a lot of sugar and not a lot of protein. Luckily, we’ve come up with a sneaky way to turn that bowl of cereal into a protein powerhouse that will keep us full until lunch. Enter TVP (or textured vegetable protein), the pantry MVP that can really do it all.
TVP—which is flaked dehydrated soy flour—reminds us a little of Uncle Sam cereal, but with less flavor and more nutrients. So, one day, we threw some into a batch of homemade granola, and never looked back.
While TVP typically needs to be rehydrated when using it meatishly—as in our veggie-fied sloppy Joes—you can skip this step since we want it to be super crunchy. A ½ cup serving of this mix delivers 10 grams of protein. You can easily double the recipe, as it lasts several weeks in a sealed container or a few months in the freezer. A scoop of this granola with some plant yogurt may just become your favorite breakfast al-desko.
Gingerbread Protein Granola
Yield: 12 servings (about ½ cup each)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups TVP
- 1½ cups puffed rice
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped*
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup molasses*
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup dried cranberries*
- ⅓ cup chopped candied ginger
Procedure:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the TVP, puffed rice, oats, pecans, cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup, molasses, coconut oil, and vanilla. Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir until combined.
- Spread on the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway, or until the granola is golden brown. When the granola is done, it’ll still be a little sticky. Sprinkle over the cranberries and candied ginger, and let cool completely. The granola will harden more as it cools.
- Once cool, break the granola into chunks.
Notes and Substitutions:
- Use any nut or dried fruit you like in place of the pecans and cranberries.
- If you don’t have molasses, you can sub in more maple syrup.
- The granola will last several weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.
