Paleo Granola

Peaches, granola, and coconut milk!

This summer brought my first attempt at paleo granola - I just love fresh berries or fruit with granola on top, and I hadn't had anything like in a couple of years. So when I got a bounty of juneberries from my neighbor's tree this year (she went out of town right at peak juneberry time), it inspired some granola making. I tried a few recipes, including one from the 21 Day Sugar Detox lady that was sweetened only with a not-yet-ripe banana. I liked that one, but found I preferred a moderately (as in not-very-sweet) honey-sweetened version better. The "banola" recipe was also a little chewy, and I wanted crunchier granola.

The basic concept of paleo granola is pretty simple: combine nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, some fat and sweetener and bake. Some folks use an egg or egg white to help with the crunch, and I preferred that in my two comparison recipes. The one with egg white was a little drier and more crisp in the end product, but also a little bit less clumpy. The nuts are also interchangable for whatever you have handy.

Paleo Granola
1 c. almonds
1 c. cashews
1 c. pecans
1 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
1 c. pepitas
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1 egg white
1 T water
1/4 - 1/3 c. honey*
1/4 c. coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (opt)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 c. raisins or dried fruit

*I use 1/4 c plus 6 drops stevia

1. Put nuts and coconut flakes in food processor and pulse/process until chopped up so there are still some good size pieces - some of it will be pretty chopped, just stop before the whole thing turns to a nut flour consistency.
2. Empty nuts and coconut into large bowl, and add pepitas and sunflower seeds.
3. In smaller bowl, whisk egg white and water. Add honey/stevia, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. I needed to heat my honey/coconut oil so they would be liquid.
4. Stir wet ingredients into nut and seed mix and coat. It will look fairly wet and be a bit clumpy.
5. Spread granola onto a cookie sheet or baking pan. Bake at 300 degrees for about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Take the granola out when the mix is nicely browned. Add your raisins and and let sit for another 15-20 minutes to cool and harden.
6. Spoon into a bowl, top with some fruit and/or coconut milk, and eat! This stores well in a sealed jar (wait til it's all the way cooled first). I had no problem storing it for a couple of weeks, and it could likely go longer.

This is the 21DSD "banola" for comparison: more clumpy, less crisp. Still delicious though.