Strawberry Banana Nut Granola

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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

As addictive as granola is to eat, so is it just as addictive to make!  Often  I end up making granola simply based on what ingredients I have sitting around.  That is exactly how this one came about.

I never grew up eating granola, so I must be making up for lost time.  It is such a versatile food.  It can be used as a cereal, doused in nut milk,  eaten by the handful as a mid-afternoon snack, sprinkle over yogurt or ice cream, shape into bars, or cookie forms, the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:

Yields roughly 17-18 cups

• 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, soaked
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
• 1 cup raw almonds, soaked
• 1 cup raw pecans, soaked
• 1 cup flax seeds
• 8 bananas, ripe
• 16 oz strawberries, organic (I used frozen ones that were thawed)
• 1/2 cup raw agave nectar or equivalent
• 3 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sea Himalayan pink salt
• 2 bananas, ripe (I sliced these, tossed them with cinnamon, and then dehydrated them)
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, organic (sliced and dehydrated)

Preparation:

1. After soaking the oats, drain and rinse them for 2 minutes under cool water.
2. Use your fingers to agitate them.
3. Hand squeeze the excess water and place in a large bowl.
4. Drain and rinse the nuts.  Place them in the food processor; pulse them into small-medium bits.  Add to the bowl with the oats and flax seeds.
   • Place the flax seeds in a grinder and pulse a few times, just enough to crack their shell. This will help your body in absorbing its nutrients.  Don’t over process and make flour out of them.
5. Back in the food processor combine; 8 bananas, 16 oz strawberries, chia seeds, lemon juice, and salt.  Process until everything is nice and creamy.
6. Pour the “sauce” over the oats/nuts/seeds and mix until everything is well coated.
   • Set aside and give the chia/flax seeds some time to absorb any loose liquid.  Maybe 10-20 minutes.
   • During this wait time, you can tend to the remaining bananas and fresh strawberries.
7. Take the 2 remaining bananas, the 2 cups of fresh strawberries and slice them all up.  Place them on the mesh sheets that come with your dehydrator.
8. Take the granola batter and spread 2 cups worth of mixture on the non-stick teflex sheets. If it feels runny, let it rest for 15+ minutes so the flax can activate and thicken the batter.
9. Dehydrate everything at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, then reduce to 115 degrees (F) for 16-24 hours.
   • At the half mark remove the teflex sheets, allowing the granola to continue drying on the mesh sheets until it is dry.
   • Dry times will always vary depending on the climate, humidity, and how thick or thin you spread the mixture.
10. Once done and cooled, break the granola up and add the dehydrated bananas/strawberry chips to the mix.
11. Store in a glass container.  The shelf life will depend on how dry or moist you leave your granola.  The more moisture left in the granola, the shorter the shelf life.  I tend to make up quart size bags of it and store them in the freezer.

• What is Himalayan pink salt and does it matter?  Click (here) to read more about it.
• Are oats gluten-free?  Yes, read more about that (here).
• Are oats raw?  Yes, they can be found.  Click (here) to learn more.
• Do I need to soak and dehydrate oats?  Not required but recommended.  Click (here) to see why.
• Learn how to grind your own flaxseeds for ultimate freshness and nutrition.  Click (here).

 

Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan