I’m a bit of a granola connoisseur (or addict, depending on how you look at it); so when I heard that one of my favorite independent food companies was making granola, I had to try it.
I first discovered purely elizabeth through their gluten-free muffin mixes. (Their founder, Elizabeth Stein, is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition – the same school I attended. While I don’t know Elizabeth personally, I must have first come across her products through some IIN connection…I don’t remember.) I’m not gluten intolerant, but I do like to mix up my grains and steer away from wheat when I can, just for variety’s sake. Because purely elizabeth muffins are made with whole grain flours like millet and almond, they have a richer texture not found in other gluten-free products that just have the gluten stripped out.
But back to the granola.
I bought the Pumpkin Fig Granola, because I’m also obsessed with pumpkin…and fig, actually. (I’m obsessed with lots of foods.) Its primary ingredient, like a lot of granola, is oats; but purely elizabeth adds amaranth and quinoa to round out the grains. The Pumpkin Fig flavor also includes pumpkin seeds, dried figs, and chia seeds, a nice “superfood” addition that gives a little extra crunch and nutritional kick.
Bottom line? I loved the texture – nice big chunks and lots of crunch. I also loved the relatively low sugar content, evidenced not only by the nutrition label (4g sugar per serving; sweetened with coconut palm sugar, a low glycemic sweetener) but also by the fact that the leftover almond milk in my bowl didn’t taste like a milkshake when the granola was gone. Also of note was the relatively “slow burn” of the granola by my body throughout the morning – I felt pretty full on a 1/3 cup serving for at least 3 – 4 hours, an impossibility for me with sugary, single-grain based granolas.
So congratulations, Elizabeth, on another outstanding product! I’ve got two more flavors to try – Original and Cranberry Pecan. I’m sure the boxes won’t last long in my granola-addict kitchen.
purely elizabeth products have limited retail distribution (for now!); but you can buy them direct at www.purelyelizabeth.com.
