Nutty for Paleo Granola.
Back in January 2014, at the Big Picture Classes Play! event, my awesome friend Heather brought be a bag of the most delicious Paleo granola. I nibbled on it for days and dreamed about it for months. I finally asked for the recipe and I've been making it ever since. I'm sharing it here for two reasons. ONE, I want to pin it to my Paleo Goodness Pinterest board, so that I can find it more easily and TWO, really good things like this should always be shared. My only hesitation is I'm not sure where this recipe originated and I don't know who to credit, other than Heather. Edited: Just got an email from Heather, with the original source for this recipe!
If you're not super familiar with the Paleo approach to eating, then you need to know that this granola is all NUTS and a few seeds. There is no oatmeal or flour or grain of any kind. This means it's pretty expensive to make, but it also means you don't need to eat very much. It is very filling. This is not the kind of granola you put in a bowl and pour milk over—even the little bowl I photographed is too much to eat at once. This is the kind of granola you sprinkle over yogurt (preferably full fat) or a fruity green salad or (ready for this?) mashed sweet potatoes!
I've linked a few of the harder-to-find items, so you know where I buy them!
Paleo Granola
1 1/2 C silvered almonds
1/2 C sunflower seeds
1/2 C cashew pieces
1/2 C pecans, chopped
1/2 C pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 C coconut flakes
1/2 C shredded coconut
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 C coconut oil
1 T honey
2 T maple syrup
1 t vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine all the nuts and seeds. Sprinkle the cinnamon, salt and nutmeg and toss to distribute. Microwave the coconut oil, honey, maple syrup and vanilla in a small glass measuring cup for 20 seconds. Whisk the oil mixture together, blending it thoroughly and then pour it over the nut-seed mixture and stir until every little piece is coated in sweet/salty goodness. Spread the granola out onto a large cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the over and turn and stir the granola and then put it back in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Don't skip that stir step, baking for an uninterrupted 10 minutes is not a good idea! Let it cool and get extra crispy and then store it in an airtight container.
I keep mine in a big glass jar with a rubber-sealed lid in my pantry -- easy to access!
Note: I have tweaked the recipe and preparation just a little bit, and if I don't have one ingredient, I skip it or come up with something else to add. In my opinion, it does matter than you have both flaked and shredded coconut.
Enjoy!
Click HERE for a printable PDF!
