nut, seed, & coconut granola. {grain-free & vegetarian}

26 January 2015

Happy belated New Year. I hope everyone had a beautiful, relaxing holiday with friends and family, I know that I certainly did. For the past few weeks, I felt a bit off the grid and I admit that it has taken me quite a bit of time to gain energy back and find a routine again.

Many of us create goals, formulate new habits, and make resolutions in the New Year, I have made a few as well. Since I now have job that requires me to sit many hours a day, I noticed a difference in my flexibility and feel stiffness in my joints and muscles. As a way to curb this detriment, I began doing Yoga in the morning, and have found that it is also a way to start a good habit and implement a beneficial morning routine. I have discovered that most days, I always have a 30-45 minutes to dedicate, and that I truly enjoy that time. What are some of your newest or most valued habits this year?

As far as nutrition, I have been been cooking from the heart and for comfort. This is my 4th granola recipe on WE.H., but for good reason--I have finally devised a delicious grain-free granola. Before I adopted a grain-free diet, I ate granola almost every morning (hence the 3 previous granola recipes). This recipe has been a blessing for busy mornings as it is easy to pack up for the go and sustains me until lunch. I have been eating it with almond milk or kefir, bananas and berries.

Nut, Seed, & Coconut Granola. 

makes about 5 cups

3 cups of raw nuts and seeds {I used 1 cup of almonds, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pumpkins seeds, 2 TBL sesame seeds, and 2 TBL chia seeds}
1 cup of unsweetened, shredded coconut

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup raw honey {or maple syrup to make it vegan}
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract or the seeds from one pod, scraped out
a pinch of sea salt

1 1/2-2 cups dried fruit {I used equal amounts of organic apricots, dates, and Thompson raisins}

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or you can spray the baking sheet with oil).  
2. In a large bowl, whisk to combine oil, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. 
3. Add the nuts, seeds, and coconut to a food processor. Blitz until everything is coarsely ground. This will be reminiscent to the oat-like texture of granola. Add the nut, seed, and coconut mixture into the bowl with wet ingredients. Stir until everything is evenly coated and spread evenly over the parchment paper. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the nuts & seeds begin to turn golden; stir occasionally. 
4. While the granola is in the oven, add the dried fruit into the food processor and blitz until roughly chopped (or you can do this with a knife). When the granola is done, take it out and stir in the fruit and let it cool on the baking sheet.*
5. Store in air tight container up to 3 weeks. 

*If you want the granola to be a little chunky & stuck together, pile the granola 1" thick to cool, then break apart.

happy eatings & cheers!