Chocolate Seed Granola (Oil Free)

I got a dehydrator for my birthday last month, and have been busy playing around with it. One of things on my "must try" list, was granola. I wasn't sure where to begin but jumped right in and created a recipe that my husband and I loved! I wasn't comfortable with my 16 month old eating it because of the large nuts, but with her determined persistence, I finally gave in and let her have some of the pieces that didn't contain any almonds or pumpkin seeds. We all ended up loving it.

It was a little more on the chewy side right at first, but the longer it sat, the crunchier it became. In talking with others, I learned oil is often used in creating granola in order to give it that "crunch". We did just fine without it, but you be the judge!

What you need:

3 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup Raw Almonds
1 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
1/3 cup White Chia Seed
1/2 cup unsweetened Coconut
1/2 cup Quinoa Puffs
1 Tbsp Raw Cacao Powder (or cocoa - Add more for extra chocolate taste)
Dash of Cinnamon
*1 cup Pure Maple Syrup

* Can sub honey, molasses, or combination thereof. I plan to experiment more with the next batches!

What you do:

1. Combine all ingredients from Oats through Quinoa Puffs in large bowl and stir.

2. Add cacao powder and cinnamon, and stir to incorporate.

3. Add maple syrup and stir, coating well.

*4. Spread a thin, even layer on dehydrator sheet. Dehydrate on 115 overnight, roughly 17 hours. By dehydrating at this temperature, all the ingredients are kept raw. Makes about 10 cups.

*If you want to speed up the process and don't care to keep your ingredients raw, you can bake in the oven at 250 degrees for roughly 35 minutes.

Notes:

If there are some of the above ingredients you don't have, or simply don't want to use, add another ingredient in that same amount. For example, if you prefer to skip the pumpkin seeds, you can add an extra cup of almonds, of double up on the quinoa and sunflower seeds. Fit this recipe to your family's tastes!

This is a great snack to take on the road, pack in lunches, or add milk and make into a cereal. This is great for the older toddler as is, but if you want something for your younger tot, I would forgo the almonds and pumpkin seeds, and instead add more of another ingredient.

Enjoy!

Makes a great gift!

Nutrition Info per 1/2 Cup

Calories: 229.5

Fat: 12.1 g (Due to Coconut)

Saturated Fat: 4.3 g (Due to Coconut)

Sodium: 7.4 mg

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Carbohydrates: 30.5 g

Fiber: 5.6 g

Sugars: 10.5 g 

Protein: 6.4 g

To connect with others in this crazy journey called life, discover new parenting ideas and fun DIY projects, learn about holistic remedies, and find whole food plant based recipes, please visit our Facebook page Loving Green at Loving Green FB.