Amazing Paleo / Gluten-Free Granola

…And a blessed, happy-day greeting to you from snowy, blizzardy Denver, Colorado! I don’t know how much we have out there now but it is a LOT. It’s Sunday and I’m calling this a snow day.

In order to get ready for a busy work-week ahead, I had a list of about 6 things I had planned on cooking anyway today so being snowed in is really icing on the cake! On to things more food-ish…check out the gluten-free / paleo GRANOLA I baked up in my Nesco dehydrator. I had a small bowl full this morning (late breakfast) with almond milk and it kept me full for like 4 hours! If you’ve been on or are now on the Paleo diet or if you’re eating a gluten-free diet there are times you really miss that crunchy kind of yumminess that comes from eating a cracker, cookie, piece of bread, cereal or chips…so this kind of recipe really takes that on. Yes, I am very pleased with myself today. LOL.

I used as a starting point, a recipe out of Make It Paleo, a book I’m using a lot of recipes from. However, I didn’t have exactly the ingredients their recipe called for…so I winged it. (You can also try any kind of raw seed or nut you have on hand like raw sunflower seeds.)

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups pecans (raw)
1-1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup flax seed
1 cup almonds (raw)
1/2 cup cashews (raw)
1 cup shredded organic raw unsweetened coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup medjool dates
1/2 cup dried figs

Directions
1. Soak nuts and seeds in water + 1 TB of salt over-night for about 10 hours.
2. Drain and spread in layers in your dehydrator (I have a Nesco Dehydrator…very inexpensive!)
3. Let bake overnight
4. Remove from dehydrator and crumble by hand into a big mixing bowl.
5. In food processor, add raisins, dates and figs and coarsely chop, then add to your mixing bowl. Stir in coconut and mix all together.
6. Serve with unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk.
7. Store remainder in airtight container or in baggies.