Last year I was challenged to try out the paleo diet and it was an eye opener as to how dependent we were on grains. We are most definitely not a grain-free family but since the paleo challenge we try to find grain-free options to reduce our dependency and introduce a wider variety of foods in our daily routine. Being a family of vegetarians, we are always looking for ways to incorporate foods that contain the healthy fats and proteins which are essential to a vegetarian diet and little growing boys. We all know nuts are the perfect source for both healthy fats and proteins but my kids aren’t so big on eating whole nuts. Making this raw granola was the perfect and easy way to get my kids to consume more nuts and eat a protein rich breakfast.
Wait until you see just how easy this is! First you will want to process the pecans, walnuts, dates into a small crumble mixture. Add the Almond flour, shredded coconut and flax seeds and combine.
Next, melt the coconut oil and maple syrup over medium heat. Once melted pour over dry granola mixture and stir to combine wet and dry ingredients.
Press the granola mixture firmly into a 9″x 13″ cookie sheet.
If you want to form nicely shaped granola bars, line the cookie sheet with parchment paper to make it easier to work with. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and then press down with a flat surface to create a nice smooth top to your granola bars.
And that’s it; refrigerate the granola until ready to use. It is best to let the granola mixture sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour so it can harden. This raw granola can stand alone as a snack or be poured over the top with almond milk for a great cereal. Hope you enjoy this super easy and healthy raw granola recipe!
Supplies:
- 1 cup Pecans
- 1 cup Walnuts
- ½ cup Dates
- 2 cups Almond Flour
- 2 tbls flax seeds
- 1 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 2 tbls Coconut Oil
- ⅓ cup Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Process the pecans, walnuts and dates into small crumbles.
- Add the almond flour and shredded coconut to the crumble and mix thoroughly until combined.
- Melt the coconut oil and maple syrup over medium heat.
- Add the wet ingrediests to the dry ingredients and mix together until fully incorporated.
- Press the mixture firmly into a 9"x13" cookie sheet (line cookie sheet with parchment paper if wanting to make granola bars).
- Place the granola in the refrigerator to harden for at least 1 hour.
- Once hardened, remove and break up the granola with your hands and store in the refrigerator.
Michele Soto says
Hi Vanessa:
I’m making these now and noticed that the flax seed was not included in step 1 or 2.
I am guessing they get ground and added in with the almond flower & shredded coconut step, is this correct?
I can’t wait until they are ready. I am also adding a teaspoon of lightly ground chia seed. I can wait to experiement with other dried fruits, etc!
TIP: my dates were very hard to grind especially when the pits were in them (red face)….so be careful not to break your grinder! I think next time I will heat them up some to see if this helps with the chopping process.
Thank you,
Vanessa Brady says
Oops! Thanks for the heads up!