Orange Cinnamon Granola Cereal
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free ~
My goal for this recipe was to make a “cereal.” And I accomplished just that! This is not like my typical granola that can be carried around as a snack as well, this one is looser and needs to be eaten in a bowl with nut milk or…. by way of “hand-to-mouth” technique. Eating with the hands evokes great emotion. It kindles something very warm and gentle and caressing.
Etiquette, as a matter of fact, is central to most traditions of hand-to-mouth eating; the artfulness and ritual of the practice are part of what people love about it. Some cultures eat only with their right hand, or their left hand, there are so many traditions.
Remembering all the proper eating etiquette’s that come into play when using utensils can be downright exhausting:
- Don’t let the spoon clatter on the bowl.
- Don’t scrap the utensil on your teeth.
- Make sure you use the right spoon for the right dish.
- Don’t make a slurping soup when eating cereal.
- But do slurp when eating soup!
- Always scoop food, using the proper utensil, away from you.
I mean come on… really?! The list goes on and on. How is one to remember all of that when all you want to do is devour eat your food!? It’s up to you; you can decide if you want to abide by all the rules of using utensils or you can practice the “hand-to-mouth” technique. :)
Ingredients:
Yields roughly 6 cups cereal
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups gluten-free, rolled oats, soaked
- 1 cups raisins
- 1/2 cup hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked
- 1/4 cup flax seeds, soak in 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
Wet Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (1 orange)
- 2 Tbsp orange zest (1 orange worth, use organic!)
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 3 Tbsp cold-pressed coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp liquid stevia
- 1/4 tsp orange extract
- 1/2 Tbsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Preparation:
- After the oats are done soaking, drain, and rinse them under cool water for 2 minutes.
- Use your fingers to agitate them while rinsing.
- Hand squeeze the excess water from them and place them in a large bowl.
- Drain and discard the soak water from the sunflower and pumpkin seeds before adding to the recipe. Don’t attempt to drain the liquid from the flax seeds though; we want that.
- In a large bowl combine the oats, seeds, and coconut. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl combine the orange juice, zest, sweetener, oil, vanilla, stevia, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together and pour into the other bowl, mixing everything well. I like to use my hands to do this.
- Transfer to non-stick dehydrator sheets and dry at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, then reduce to 115 degrees (F) and continue to dry for 16-24 hours, or until dry.
- Partway through the process, flip the cereal over onto the mesh sheet of the tray and peel the non-stick sheet off. Keep drying. By removing this sheet, it will help to speed up the drying.
- Allow to cool, break up into small pieces, and store in an airtight glass container.
The Institute of Culinary Ingredients™
- To learn more about maple syrup by clicking (here).
- To learn more about Yacon syrup by clicking (here).
- Raw honey isn’t vegan, but I still use it now and again. Read (here) why I like to.
- Click (here) to learn why I use stevia.
- Raw honey isn’t vegan, but I still use it now and again. Read (here) why I like to.
- Hemp seeds don’t require soaking. Click (here) to learn more.
- Why do I specify Ceylon cinnamon? Click (here) to learn why.
- What is Himalayan pink salt and does it really matter? Click (here) to read more about it.
- Is coconut butter the same as coconut oil? Click (here) to find out.
- 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.
Culinary Explanations:
- Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)? Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
- When working with fresh ingredients, it is important to taste test as you build a recipe. Learn why (here).
- Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do however truly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
This looks delicious. It’s great to finally find a healthy alternative to sugar laden store bought granola cereal — without nuts! I can’t wait to try this. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Your welcome CindyP! Keep me posted how the recipe turns out for you! Blessings…amie sue
Can you suggest something to use instead of the cold-pressed coconut oil? Would olive oil work? Thank you.
Hello DJ,
I would suggest the following as a substitution; hemp, flax or olive oil. I would use about 1 Tbsp instead though. Coconut oil firms up at 76 degrees whereas the other oils remain liquidly so it might feel oily at the full quantity suggested. Do you prefer not to use coconut oil? I will tinker around with other oils, it’s a great question DJ. Have a marvelous day! amie sue
I don’t like the aftertaste of stevia sweetner. Is there an alternative?
Hi Donna, you can use any sweetener of your choice. :)
I may try this this weekend for a sweet crunch snack for next week. Thanks.
Great recipe. I had to adjust ingredients since I didn’t have everything listed, but it worked very well even with the substitutions. Thanks.
Good evening Ben… you are a master in the kitchen. Part of the fun when making these recipes is to get creative with what you have on hand. Have a wonderful week Ben!
Hello again….I have sunflower seeds that have been sprouted and dehydrated. Can I use these and if so, do I need to soak them again? Lots of questions today! :)
Hello Lori… questions are a good thing, it’s how we learn. :) You will be fine in using your sunflower seeds as is. Good for you in having your sunflower seeds ready to go! Have a great weekend, amie sue
Hey Amie,
It’s very difficult to have raw pumpkin seed or sunflower seed here. I can only buy raw almond. May i use roasted those seed (i awared if that, the granola is not raw any more)? Thanks Amie.
Hello Bella. I understand. Do you best with what is available to you. :) No stressing! By all means, if you can only get roasted, use them. It won’t be totally raw, but that’s ok too. Keep me posted if you give it a try. amie sue
Amie, i made it, even with roasted (not raw) sunflower & pumpkin seed, it tastes very good though. I didnt soak the roasted seed. I forgot to ask you with roasted seed/nut, should i still need to soak? Thanks Amie. Bella
So happy that you tested it out Bella. If you are starting out with roasted nuts or seeds, I would skip the soaking process unless it is needed to create a particular texture. But it sounds like you did it just right. thanks for sharing! blessings, amie sue