FOOD FIGHT FRIDAY{} GRAIN FREE PALEO GRANOLA

Hello to all my #fff chefs. Friday has rolled around again and it is time to show your stuff. It took me all day to figure out what to post for #fff. I finally realized that I needed to make some Granola Cereal.

I am a lover of cereal, but I stopped eating it when I changed my diet to paleo. I use to love Wheat Chex, Raisin Bran, and Honey Bunches of Oats. Even the so called healthy cereal, had grains, sugar, gluten, corn syrup, oats, and even whey from milk. Paleo does not allow grains, dairy, or sugar, so that Ieft me without a choice of cereal.

Searching through Pinterest, I founded a recipe for Grain Free Paleo Granola...I was ecstatic. The recipe was easy to make and full of natural ingredients. We eat it with almond milk and fruit for a healthy breakfast or dry as a snack. I made 1 & 1/2 times the amounts for all of the ingredients because we love this granola.

https://celebratingsweets.com/grain-free-paleo-granola/

Ingredients:

2 cups raw unsalted chopped nuts (preferably a combination of walnuts, pecans, almonds and cashews) see note regarding soaking nuts for easier digestion

I used 3 cups of nuts. One each of pecans, almonds, and walnuts.

1/3 cup unsalted pepitas
1/3 cup sunflower seeds

I used 1 cup of pepitas and sunflower seeds

1/4 cup almond flour

I used 3/8 cup of almond flour

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes/chips use large flakes rather than finely shredded coconut

I used 3/4 cup of coconut flakes

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

I used 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt more, if needed

1 tablespoon coconut oil

I used 1 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 to 1/3 cup raw honey

I used 1/2 cup of honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

I used 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liners and set aside (do not skip this step, the granola will stick if directly on the baking sheet).

In a large bowl, combine nuts, seeds, almond flour, coconut, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. I chopped the nuts before I added them to the bowl. The almond were real hard so I used my coffee grinder to chop them up.

In a small saucepan, heat coconut oil and honey until smooth and combined. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour over nut mixture and stir until well combined.

Dump the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through the cook time. Keep a close eye on it so that the nuts don't burn. Begin checking it around 13 minutes , and then every 2 minutes after.

Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, the nuts will firm up as they cool. Break into irregular pieces and store in an airtight container.

This is the best granola ever, especially for nut lovers. I carry a little baggie of the granola in my purse and my gym bag, for a quick snack.