Grain-free Granola Crunch

This recipe has been post long-overdue, and I feel guilty for not sharing it sooner. I always make sure to have a nice-size jar of this ready made in my cupboard. It’s a handy ‘trail-mix’ snack to chuck in a ziplock bag and take on the go, or you can enjoy this for breakfast with some homemade creamy caramel almond milk on top for a treat! It’s super low carb too, with only 6g carb per serve, so perfect if you’re on a low carb thing. Lately, I’ve been finding myself sprinkling this on top of homemade ice cream, and most recently used this as a topping for my dairy-free Vanilla Yogurt and Blueberry Parfait…oh. my. goodness. SO GOOD.

Grain-free Granola Crunch

Dietary Info: GF/DF/SF/PA/V and Vegan! (*see notes at end of post for dietary codes)

Serves 14
Serving size: 50g

Ingredients:

• 1 c. (200g) Almonds, roughly chopped
• 80g unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 c. (50g) sunflower seeds
• 1/4 c. (50g) pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 c. (50g) macadamia nuts, chopped
• 1/4 c. (50g) walnuts, chopped
• 2 Tbs. sesame seeds

To mix in after baking:

• 3 Tbs. honey + 1 Tbs. boiling hot water
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
• 2-3 heaping Tbs. (16g) LSA Super Fruits, or ground flaxseed
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• sea salt to taste
• 100g sultanas

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (160C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix all chopped nuts, seeds and coconut.
3. Spread in an even layer on un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes,  stirring occasionally until starting to turn golden in color. Remove from oven and transfer toasted nuts and seeds to large mixing bowl. (leave oven on).
4. In a small bowl, combine honey with boiling water and vanilla bean paste and stir well to combine.
5. Mix wet mixture into the large mixing bowl with nuts and seeds and stir until all dry ingredients are covered with honey mixture.
6. Add ground LSA (or flaxseed), cinnamon and sea salt (I used about 1/4 tsp. salt for this recipe). Toss well.
7. Place parchment paper on cookie sheet and return to oven for 15 more minutes, stirring halfway to make sure it doesn’t burn.
8. Check granola for dryness. If nuts and seeds are lightly golden but still a bit moist with honey mixture, turn oven fan on and heat off and crack the door. You can leave in for another 15 minutes so mixture has a little more time to dry. (I don’t mind mine on the more toasted side as you can see.)
9. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
10. Once cooled, toss in raisins. Transfer to jar that can be sealed for easy storage, and enjoy however and whenever you wish!

Nutrition facts per 50g serving: Calories 211, Fat 20, Carb 6, Protein 5

Special Dietary Needs:

Gluten Free/Grain Free = GF
Dairy Free = DF
Sugar Free = SF
Paleo Approved = PA
Vegetarian = V
Low Carb = LC

The above codes for specific dietary requirements will be found under each recipe title

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Dairy free Vanilla Yogurt & Blueberry Parfait

One of the hardest things for me to give up on my new and revised healthy eating plan, was dairy. I love dairy so much. I love cheese — every kind of cheese, but especially goat and sheep feta, parmesan and mozzarella! My usual breakfast before giving up dairy was Greek yogurt topped with honey and fresh fruit, and sometimes with a sprinkle of granola on top (not the grain-free kind) — that was my fave. I didn’t give up dairy because I think it’s bad for you, I literally thought that I’d give it a ‘trial run’ to see if I felt any better after eliminating it from my diet, and to my surprise (and maybe a little dismay) I felt way better. So much better in fact, that I haven’t actually felt like I’m missing out on it! Cam still eats cheese on a daily basis, so it’s not like I don’t have a huge stash of it in my fridge, but just knowing how much better I feel when I don’t eat it, takes away the craving for me!

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