I find that with a lot of people, the challenge in consuming oats is that they’re more fond of savory foods, and oats are (more often than not) sweet. This Savory Granola recipe I developed for Mornflake is for all of those people- and more!

Oats are high in soluble fiber called Beta Glucan, antioxidants, can lower cholesterol levels, improve blood sugar control, amongst many benefits, and considering our hectic lifestyles, it is imperative that we incorporate oats into our diets, in one way or the other.

This dish was inspired by the Turkish dish Imam Bayildi. I love this dish but always felt it could use some texture, some crunch. It wasn’t long before I realized I could make a savory granola to go with this, with nuances of cumin and pomegranate molasses.

What’s great about this dish is that many of its components can be prepared ahead of time (or even all, if you’re ok with reheating the eggplant), and it can be assembled very quickly for a super nutritious and delicious Suhoor or Iftar.

I’ve made a giant batch of granola that should get me through all of Ramadan, and cubed and frozen eggplant (my meal prep is basically just ingredient prep as it gives me the liberty to put together different quantities and combinations for different meals). The tomato sauce takes minutes to make and can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, and the yogurt is even quicker and easier whip up.

Here’s how you can enjoy enjoy nutritious and delicious Savory Granola with Eggplant too:

Ingredients:

For the Granola:

• 3 cups Mornflake Whole Jumbo Oats
• 1 cup Pine Nuts
• 3/4 cup Pomegranate Molases
• 1 Tsp Garlic powder
• 2 Tsp Dried Organo
• 1 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 1 cup Sunflower Seeds
• 2 Tsp Cumin

For the Yogurt Bowl

• 1 large eggplant
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 large, good quality tomato
• 250 ml yogurt
• 1 tsp fresh garlic paste
• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate arils
• Salt to season

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170  degrees Celsius.
2. Cut the eggplant into 2 cm cubes, toss in 1 tsp salt and set aside for 30 minutes. This helps release and rid off the inherent bitterness from the eggplant.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt, garlic, and salt, set aside in fridge.
4. In a separate, large bowl, mix all the granola ingredients together, and spread evenly on a baking sheet.
5. Bake the granola for 25-30 minutes, taking the tray out and giving it a thorough mix every 10 minutes. This will help brown the granola evenly.
6. Once done, remove the granola from the oven and set aside to cool.
7. Crank the oven heat up to 200 degrees Celsius, to preheat oven for the eggplant.
8. Drain out the excess liquid from the eggplant cubes, spread them out onto a baking tray and toss them in 3 Tbs olive.
9. Roast for 20 minutes.  Toss the eggplant to change the sides that were in contact with the baking tray, and roast for another 10-20 minutes until nice and evenly golden brown and tender. Alternatively, if you’d like, you can fry or air-fry the eggplant too.
10. While the eggplant is roasting, puree your tomato and season with salt (and pepper) as per your liking.
11. To serve, spoon some of the yogurt into a shallow bowl. Top with some eggplant, some granola, a drizzle of the fresh tomato puree and some pomegranate arils.

 

For other Savory Oats Recipes you can enjoy, please click here and here.