Good Grainy Granola, Without the Grain
Here's another foodie find from San Francisco International Airport's Terminal Two: Giddy Up & Go's gluten-free vegan granola. Contra Costa County-based Thoughtful Food makes two types of Giddy Up & Go Granola; Notoriously Nutty and Seriously Seedy. Both are based on the principles of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet their founder's embrace. SCD is designed to maintain health and balance in the body by eliminating grain, starch, sugar and most lactose.
How does one make granola without grain? Well, there are a variety of gluten-free flakes that aren't grain but certainly feel like cereal, like oats and corn flakes, and there're plenty of nuts and seeds to fill in around the raisins. Here's what we tasted:
Notoriously Nutty: The granola leans heavily on the flavors of grown-up corn flakes. The corn flakes and raisins in the ingredients are predominant in the flavor, though a touch of cinnamon and a sense of sweetness (from the agave) raises the flavor complexity as does the earthiness of the flax seed. Nut nibs sprinkled throughout make an appearance as a bit player to the star, which is fine for flavor, but isn't quite right for the product's name.
Seriously Seedy
Here the first flavor is of the seed, sesame and pumpkin. Then the raisins dash in and the grain -- oops, I meant flakes -- follow through. As with the first you get a grainy-nutty-flaky texture that belies the lack of grain. In this instance the flax seed flavor is more noticeable even to slightly off-putting, leaving Notoriously Nutty the favorite of the two, though both make reasonable options for those seeking granola without gluten.
In that flavor trumps formula for us, we'd still favor the slightly less healthy granola from Rustic Bakery, and sprinkle it more modestly atop out yogurt.
Contact Ben Narisin at sfoodieben@gmail.com . Follow us on Twitter: @sfoodie, and like us on Facebook.
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