I experiment with many genres of food preparation. Last year I became interested in the raw food approach after enjoying some fabulous food at a friend’s birthday party. Naively I thought ‘raw food’ would be just that; carrot sticks, bean sprouts, scary green smoothie drinks. Had I not known this party spread was prepared by a raw food chef, I would never have guessed.
The belief with raw food is that the nutrients are at their best when uncooked. Nuts are soaked to make them more beneficially digestible. Food is dehydrated at low temperatures to allow the highest retention of nutrients.
I wanted to share a favorite recipe and truly what I’ve been told is the best granola ever (from a number of recipients). Unlike traditional granolas the crunch is really from ground dehydrated nuts. There are no oats or grains to form the sharp edges usually associated with some gum-cutting granolas. It’s a very flavorful energy filled snack and absolutely delicious in a dousing of cold milk.
I do make my granola in a dehydrator following the recipe below. I realize not everyone has a dehydrator so if you don’t have one spread the mixture onto cookie sheets and bake on a very low setting in your oven (250-300 degrees) until crisp to your preference. Be sure to monitor the cooking. You will note a color lightening as the granola becomes dehydrated or baked in the case of an oven.
Cranberry Maple Granola
Adapted from Raw Food, Real World (Reagan Books, 2005)
· 1 apple, cored and chopped
· 1 ½ cup date paste (see method to make below); 3 cups pitted dates to make the needed amount of date paste
· ½ cup maple syrup
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 2 tablespoons orange zest
· 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 2 teaspoons sea salt
· ½ cup sunflower seeds, soaked 2 hours or more
· 2 cups almonds, soaked 4 hours or more
· 3 cups pecans, soaked 2 hours or more
· 1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked 2 hours or more
· 1 cup dried cranberries
To make Date Paste:
Date paste is basically pulverized dates forming a paste. I have found about 2 cups of pitted Medjool dates and ¼ cup of water makes about 1 cup of date paste. I put them in a food processor or electric chopper and pulse to begin to make paste while adding a small amount of water at a time. The paste will not be fully smooth.
1. Place the apple, date paste, maple syrup, lemon juice, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, salt plus half of the sunflower seeds (drained) into a food processor and pulse until fairly smooth. Put the mixture into a large mixing bowl with room to hand mix remaining ingredients.
2. Place the remaining sunflower seeds and the nuts into the food processor bowl and pulse to chop nuts. Add to the moist mixture in the bowl along with the cranberries and hand mix to fully combine.
3. Spread the mixture onto Teflex sheets on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 8-10 hours. Flip onto dehydrator screen trays and continue to dehydrate about 8-10 more hours at 115 degrees or until granola is no longer moist and crunchy to your taste (see note above if you will be using an oven).
4. Break apart and store in the refrigerator
Cranberry Maple Granola
Delicious Cranberry Maple Granola is easy to make in a dehydrator or low temperature oven. Great to start the day, for a treat or gift idea!
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Servings: 8
Calories: 5409kcal
Ingredients
- 1 apple cored and chopped
- 1 ½ cup date paste see method to make below; 3 cups pitted dates to make the needed amount of date paste
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ½ cup sunflower seeds soaked 2 hours or more
- 2 cups almonds soaked 4 hours or more
- 3 cups pecans soaked 2 hours or more
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds soaked 2 hours or more
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
To make Date Paste:
- Date paste is basically pulverized dates forming a paste. I have found about 2 cups of pitted Medjool dates and ¼ cup of water makes about 1 cup of date paste. I put them in a food processor or electric chopper and pulse to begin to make paste while adding a small amount of water at a time. The paste will not be fully smooth.
Making the Granola
- Place the apple, date paste, maple syrup, lemon juice, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, salt plus half of the sunflower seeds (drained) into a food processor and pulse until fairly smooth. Put the mixture into a large mixing bowl with room to hand mix remaining ingredients.
- Place the remaining sunflower seeds and the nuts into the food processor bowl and pulse to chop nuts. Add to the moist mixture in the bowl along with the cranberries and hand mix to fully combine.
- Dehydrator: Spread the mixture onto Teflex sheets on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 8-10 hours. Flip onto dehydrator screen trays and continue to dehydrate about 8-10 more hours at 115 degrees or until granola is no longer moist and crunchy to your taste.Oven: spread the mixture onto cookie sheets and bake on a very low setting in your oven (250-300 degrees) until crisp to your preference. Be sure to monitor the cooking. You will note a color lightening as the granola becomes dehydrated or baked in the case of an oven.
- Break apart and store in the refrigerator
Notes
Adapted from Raw Food, Real World (Reagan Books, 2005)
Nutrition
Calories: 5409kcal | Carbohydrates: 365g | Protein: 122g | Fat: 423g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Sodium: 4686mg | Potassium: 4789mg | Fiber: 87g | Sugar: 222g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 1283mg | Iron: 28mg
A little bit of everything says
I love granola but never thought adding dates and maple syrup to it. I'll try the oven way since I don't own a dehydrator.
thanks for sharing.
hope you're having a wonderful day
Roxana
Winnie says
This looks delicious and I am definitely going to try it out next time I haul out my dehydrator!
Susan says
My husband loves granola or Muslix every morning for breakfast … usually with a small bowl of yogurt. This would make an excellent gift for him! He has birthday coming up in January … hmm
kitchenarian says
I love granola and the combination of the cranberry and maple sounds delicious.
Boulder Locavore says
Hi TiffKey! DO let me know! I'm sure it will work in the oven since that is how traditional granola is made, I'm just unsure about the time. As it dehydrates you can see a texture and color change which I'm sure will be visible in the oven too.
TiffKey says
Super cool! I do not have a dehydrator, so I'll try in my oven (and let you know how it turns out!!!). Thanks for sharing!