It’s Tuesday!
Man, it’s only Tuesday. On Saturday and Sunday I was busy battling a cold, kicking a half marathon’s butt (most painful 13.1 miles of my life and probably wouldn’t have finished it as quickly if not for my friend going back for me), having my car get pooped on by like 30 birds, grading 31 essays, and baking up this nutty granola. Yeah, I had quite a busy weekend. How was yours? Are you adjusted to the daylight savings time yet?
Although I hate the ‘spring forward’ part of Daylight Savings because it feels like I’ve lost an hour of my day, I’ve genuinely enjoyed how there’s still plenty of sunlight out when I get home. Like today, I got my taxes done (hope you guys finished that up, it’s due in April), and am now home in my kitchen with the sliding door wide open. A slight breeze, natural lighting, and the smell of this granola baking in the oven…this is the life. It almost feels like I don’t have a bajillion other things to do, but hey, sometimes you just have to stop and breathe for a second before resuming life.
This paleo nutty granola was introduced to me by one of my co-workers. One bite and I enjoyed it enough to go ahead and try to make it myself. It’s an extremely simple recipe composed of nuts, coconut flakes, and seeds. It’s naturally sweetened with dates and molasses.
It also requires less baking time in the oven than my Healthy Chocolate Granola. Filled with healthy fats, protein, and fiber, I’d say that this granola is a must bake!
- 5 dates (pureed with a tablespoon of hot water)
- ½ cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
- 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp molasses (add another tsp if you like your granola sweet)
- ½ cup raw almonds
- ½ cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Puree dates in a food processor.
- In a bowl, mix coconut flakes, almonds, sunflower seeds, salt, cashews, and chia seeds. Mix in the coconut oil, dates, vanilla extract, and molasses. Mix until everything has been fully incorporated.
- Line the baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Spread the granola mixture onto the pan and press them down onto the pan. They'll stick together like one giant bar.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes (check on them periodically to make sure they don't burn)
- Remove them from the oven and let them cool. When they're cool, break them apart and place them in a bowl to serve.
Not too sweet, crunchy, and a roast-y fragrant–it’s mm, mm good!
Mmm, granola… 🙂 I have to ration myself by making small batches. This looks like it would fit the bill!
Haha, I know, granola can be so dangerously addicting.