Fruity Granola CrunchNouveau Raw

Fruity Granola Crunch

I am never one to waste or throw away food. Unless of course it is wearing a furry coat. :) If that’s the case, compost pile… here we come! Yesterday, as I was tootling around my kitchen when I spied some darkened fruit on what I call my fruit stand. Oh dear! My bananas were on their last leg! Their coats were beyond just being covered in brown spots, they were just about to pull on that furry coat and call it good! I grabbed the bananas and put them on the counter, what to do, what to do? I opened the fridge and started rummaging through the shelves… ACK! Bottom shelf, tucked in the very back… strawberries! Oh dear, how did I forget about those!? I pulled them out and put them on the counter. What to do, what to do?

First thing first, washed, sliced and dehydrated the strawberries. With bananas in mind and strawberries drying I walked into my pantry looking for inspiration. Do you ever watch the Food Network? You know how Rachael Ray walks around in a 3×3 space and piles all the bowls and ingredients in her arms before she turns around to place it on the counter? Well, that was me, I just started grabbing stuff; coconut flakes, dried apples, hazelnuts, spices, etc. With my arms fully loaded I made my way back into the kitchen and spread everything out before me. Hmm, I sense a granola recipe brewing. Granolas are so easy to make. It just takes a little bit of this and a little bit of that and voila!

Ingredients:

4 bananas, ripe
6 Tbsp date paste
2/3 cup raw caramel sauce (optional)
1 Tbsp ground ground cinnamon
2 tsp stevia liquid (I used Better Stevia glycerite)
2 cups gluten-free, rolled oats
1 3/4 cup dried strawberries
1 cup chopped raw hazelnuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried apple, diced
3/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened

Preparation:

In a large bowl mash the bananas and add; date paste, caramel sauce, cinnamon and stevia. Mix together.
Add; oats, hazelnuts and dried fruit. Using your hands, get in there and mix everything together until it is all evenly coated.
Drop the granola batter on the teflex sheets that come with your dehydrator. I used 2 trays (Excalibur brand).
Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 8 hours. Remove the teflex sheet so the granola is now on the mesh sheet. Continue drying for 6-8 hours or until dry.
Store in an air-tight container.