Wholesome vegan granola packed with nuts, seeds and coconut

 

I love granola but the store bought stuff it always over-priced, over-packaged and full of sugar and fat. I like recipes that can be created with ingredients you have lying around your home, this is going to be different for everybody but this granola was made with ingredients that I already had to hand. This recipe makes a lot, it filled a 2 liter clip jar. It’s not too sweet, crunchy and chewy with a lovely baked taste. It’s like sprinkling cookies on your breakfast! This recipe can be easily adapted to your taste, just keep the oat to fat ratio the same, this keeps it a good consistency. Let me know your variations! Happy snacking

Preheat oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of rolled oats
• 3/4 of a cup of melted coconut oil
• 1/3 of a cup of raw agave syrup (or sweetener of your choice)
• 1 cup of flaked almonds
• 1 cup of sunflower seeds
• 1/4 of a cup of flax seed
• 1 cup of shredded coconut
• 1 heaped tablespoon of almond butter
• 1 cup of dried cranberries
• 2 medium eating apples, peeled and diced
• 2 tsp of cinnamon (or other spices)
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt

 

In a food processor chop the almonds, cranberries and sunflower seeds into smaller chunks. Do each ingredient separately so you don’t end up with a gloopy (but probably delicious) mess. If you want your granola chunkier, don’t chop it as much. The pulse setting works really well for this.

Add the diced apple to a pan over medium heat. Add a little water and soften. Keep adding water until the apple is tender. Put the apple chunks in a processor and chop into smaller chunks.

In a large bowl add all of the dry ingredients including the fruit and nuts. Pour over the sweetener, coconut oil and almond butter. Mix thoroughly making sure all of the ingredients are moist. Lay parchment paper on flat baking trays. Sprinkle on a thin layer of granola and bake until golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes or so, so that the granola is evenly baked. You may need to do this in batches. This should take about 15 to twenty minutes, but keep stirring and checking so it doesn’t burn.  Allow to cool then transfer to an air tight jar. I’m not sure how long it keeps, i’m still eating mine but it will probably keep well for at least a week… if you can keep your hands off it that long!

The Down-to-Earth Bowl

 

The down-to earth bowl is an explosion of flavors and textures that make up an incredibly balanced salad. Each bite provides a happy and wholesome combination of flavors married together by an irresistible, fresh dressing.The concept behind the down-to-earth bowl, is that  firstly, it is 100% customizable and secondly that it has at least one ingredient from each of the following categories:

• Green, leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach, kale…)
• Beans, legumes or pulses (Garbanzo, black beans, lentils)
• Root vegetables (Raw carrot, beets…)
• Nuts
• Seeds

For my favorite combination: Makes 1 large salad bowl

• 1 cup of organic, baby romaine lettuce
• A bunch of pea shoots
• 1 carrot, sliced into rounds
• 1/2 an apple, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 of a cup of marinated garbanzo beans
• 1 tbsp of raisins
• 1 tbsp flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp of flax seeds

For the dressing:

• Extra virgin olive oil/apple cider vinegar in the ratio of 2:1
• 1 clove of garlic (crushed)
• 1/2 tsp of orange zest
• 1 tsp of honey
• A pinch of salt/ground black pepper

The only real preparation here is the very quick marinade for the garbanzo beans. I didn’t write down the ingredients but they are ingredients most people have on hand. Pour desired amount of beans into a bowl. Cover with a little extra virgin olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 clove of garlic (crushed), a pinch of salt and dried thyme. Let this sit for at least half an hour, or int he fridge over night.

I make all of my dressings in jars. It’s a great way to mix all of the ingredients and store the dressing also. Add all of the ingredients to a jar with a screw lid. Shake well, taste and season to taste.

To construct the salad simply toss all of the prepared ingredients together. Sprinkle seeds on top and add dressing. Sit in a quiet place, with a good book and a cup of steaming hot herbal tea. Enjoy