Last night someone called me crazy. It is the first time I have really been called crazy since I went raw and friends were calling me crazy all the time (hence the name of the blog… and I actually quite like being a little crazy). Anyway, this was because I put a batch of granola in the dehydrator on Sunday and forgot about it until last night, which was Friday. Lucky it was still good. Actually, it’s better than good, it’s pretty damn addictive, and it’s good for you! Not just because it’s raw, but because I developed it without sweeteners, i.e. agave or maple syrup, and it’s still sweet without being overpowering.
This has ‘super foods’ in it (although I believe all natural foods are super for you, not just those ones that are outrageously, crippling expensive and from poor, exotic, tropical locations!), and was dehydrated until crunchy, and has lots of nuts. In hindsight I could have also called it ‘poverty-inducing granola’ due to the ‘super food’ and fancy nut combination but I’m sure you could mix it up a little and use whatever you have in the cupboard, or whatever you fancy buying (or investing in, as I like to say to justify my (sometimes very) large grocery bills).
I also want to take a minute to dedicate this recipe to my most wonderful raw foodie friend Brooke. We both like Alissa Cohen’s granola recipe but it uses a bucket-load of agave and we never really feel comfortable with it, hence me finding an alternative. And it was her idea to add mulberries – love!
Ingredients (approx 8 servings)
- 12 medjool dates
- 1 sweet red apple
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- Pinch pink Himalayan salt (or sea salt)
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1 1/2 cup sprouted buckwheat – you will need a few days lead time. Good news is that they keep for ages once sprouted and dried so you can make a load of them and store them for emergency granola cravings.
- 1/2 cup raw oats groats
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup goji berries
- 1/4 cup mulberries
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- If the dates are already soft and you have a high speed blender, simply put the dates, apple, vanilla essence, salt and water in the blender and blend until smooth. If the dates are a little hard or your blender needs a bit of assistance you can soak the dates in some water for an hour or two to soften. Place in large mixing bowl.
- Add sprouted buckwheat, oats groats, and coconut to mixing bowl.
- Dice the berries and nuts into small chunks. Add to the bowl and mix. The mixture should be somewhat sticky but not gooey.
- Spread out on dehydrator trays in thin layers (makes about 2 Excalibur trays) and dehydrate at 104°F for 9 hours or until crispy.
- Store in airtight container for as long as it lasts – it is great to take on the road in little bags to snack on dry, or to put in a bowl with your favorite nut milk for breakfast. This recipe makes a lot but a. it keeps for ages, and b. you will probably eat it before any kind of ‘use by’ date is even a topic of conversation :)
As with any thing like this, the recipe is only a guide. Experiment with ingredients and quantities to suit your tastes, and have fun with it!
xx
Nutritional Info, per serve*
- Calories = 394
- Carbs (g) = 62
- Fat (g) = 18
- Protein (g) = 8
- Sugar (g) = 31
- Iron (%) = 16% RDI
* This doesn’t include any milk you may add :)
March 6th, 2012 at 15:39
Hello. How’s it going? Is there any way to dehydrate without a dehydrater? If not what is a good brand? Thanks venessa
March 6th, 2012 at 16:26
Hi Vanessa, you can dehydrate in. the oven. Use the lowest setting and leave the door open a little. Otherwise I love my excalibur dehydrator :)
May 4th, 2012 at 04:33
Hello :) Should we be soaking the oat groats or sprouting them or something, before use? Or do we use them just as they come? Can’t wait to try this recipe, it looks soooo delicious – just waiting for my oat groats to arrive :) Thanks :)
May 5th, 2012 at 11:53
Hey Debs! Definitely sprout the oat groats – I will revise the blog to make it clearer, thank you :)
I find the easiest way to do this is to soak them in filtered water overnight in a nut milk bag, rinse them and leave in bag in a mesh strainer of a bowl for a few days – rinsing once a day and generally mixing them up to keep them damp.
Also, oats groats tend to produce quite a bit of goopy stuff which can taste funky if you don’t rinse them well.
Let me know how it goes!
May 5th, 2012 at 12:59
Brilliant, thank you :) I haven’t sprouted oat groats before so thanks for the tip. How big do the oat sprouts need to be before they’re ready? I have ready made buckwheaties so I don’t have to worry about those ;)
May 5th, 2012 at 14:05
My pleasure!!
I have heard you really just need to be able to see the outer shell ‘broken’ with the start of a tail as this means it’s germinated and ‘living’. I also find them the most tasty then. I have tried them when the tails get really long and they’re definitely not as good!
May 8th, 2012 at 08:44
Argh! I’m so sorry Deb – I have been so busy lately I didn’t think through your question property… I don’t sprout the oats groats!! It’s the buckwheat you sprout. The oats groats have a nice crunchy texture.
I have read you can soak them but that they don’t really ‘sprout’ – haven’t verified that though :)
May 8th, 2012 at 10:06
Ahh that makes life a lot easier! I have some ready-made buckwheaties ready to use in this recipe, but am still waiting for the oat groats to arrive. I’ve also ordered buckwheat groats so I can make my own buckwheaties after the ready-made ones run out. Handy not to have to faff about sprouting the oat groats too :) x
May 11th, 2012 at 09:41
Hey :)
Just to let you know that I made this (subbing blueberries for cranberries), and it is UTTERLY DELICIOUS. Just had a bowl of it with freshly made almond milk, and it was unbelievably good :) Thanks for such a great recipe :) x
May 21st, 2012 at 05:49
Just done a week of juice feasting and this granola was my first solid meal at the end of it, with freshly made almond milk and sliced banana. Can’t begin to describe how good it feels to be eating again, and how perfect this granola is for the job! Love love LOVE it! x
May 23rd, 2012 at 00:32
OMG, that’s so exciting!! Thanks for the update. How did the fast go?