"Let love be genuine. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality." Romans 12: 9-13

Teresa Smith is wife to Rob, mom to Nate and Jacob, and loves to cycle with her husband on their Ferrari Red Co-Motion Tandem. Her passion for this blog is to help make life simple living on a gluten free diet with delicious recipes that she has adapted to be gluten free. She and her husband are missionary staff with FamilyLife Ministries in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Xterra Granola

It was in 1996 when mountain biking and triathlon met in a duel of the fittest on the island of Maui. The race consisted of an open-ocean swim, a mountain bike race, and a trail run. A bold new racing format emerged that attracted outdoor enthusiasts, mostly mountain bikers and triathletes.

The chill of open water swimming followed by the thrill of off-roading on your bike can only be topped off with the pure adrenaline of running through creek beds to the finish line.

This kind of adventure calls for a contestant to be fueled properly. Our good friend Jeremy Victor Bunge recently competed in the Xterra South Central Championships in Waco, Texas. He had this to say about the Xterra Granola: Your granola is the best stuff on earth! I'm convinced it played a major role in my performance at the race. Thanks, that was really kind of you. Jeremy Victor Bunge


So here you go, because you need this.

Start off with some gluten free oats. I buy mine at Kroger or Whole Foods. I like Bob's Red Mill.


Chop up some of nuts of your choosing. I used pecans and almonds.


Add the nuts to the oats.



Some ground up flax seed is always a good thing to add. You can grind them up in a coffee grinder. That way your body is able to absorb the nutrients easier.



add the zanthum gum to help it all stick together


some dried fruit that you like, I used golden raisins and craisins this time




Bake until golden and yummy!

Xterra Gluten Free Granola

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, canola

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup egg whites

½ tsp salt

3 cups GF oats, (if using regular oats, omit xanthum gum)

½ tsp. xanthum gum

1 cup nuts such as pecans, almonds, walnuts or a mixture, roughly chopped

½ cup raisins, craisins or dried fruit of choice

¼ cup flax seed (optional)

¼ cup honey

Mix it up

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk oil, sugar, egg whites and salt in a medium bowl

Add oats, nuts, raisins and flax seed and zanthum. Stir until well coated. Spread on lined baking sheet and bake for 15 mins. Remove from oven and add dates and honey. Bake for another 10 mins. Or until golden brown. Stir to loosen. Let cool.

Original recipe tweaked from Mary Capone.

Store granola in airtight container.

Try not to drown here!


Now we're talking!


Way to go Jeremy! We are so proud of you! Happy to help fuel you up for your race!

2 comments:

Julie said...

Teresa - We've enjoyed this granola recipe:
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/07/homemade-granola.html

because of the coconut oil and the extra value of soaked oats.

You can read about soaking here:
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/04/whole-grains-grinding-soaking.html

Jeremy said...

Seriously, that granola is the heat! I wouldn't have believed it was so easy to make. Filling, too. The best part is that it's a perfect pre-race meal. Eating before a triathlon has always been tricky for me - don't want to be too full, but you have to get enough fuel. This fits the bill perfectly and will sit easy on the stomach even when nervous. I declare it's marvelous properties!