In a past life, I may have been a bird. That’s how much I love seeds. Don’t get it twisted, this delicious granola is anything but bird food. Crunchy in texture while lightly salty and sweet, it will keep you coming back to the feeder jar for more. Seeds are the nutritional super stars of the plant based world. The hemp, chia, sesame, and pumpkin variety used in this recipe are no exception. It is sugar free, oil free, and gluten free if you want it to be. It is also 100% whole foods plant based. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s super easy to make. Fly, don’t just walk, to your kitchen to make this super satisfying plant based treat.
Ingredients:
-1 cup medjool dates, pitted
-1/2 cup tahini + 3 tablespoons water to thin
-1 cup rolled oats (gluten free if you like)
-1 cup puffed brown rice cereal (only ingredient should be rice)
-1 cup quinoa flakes
-1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
-1/4 cup chia seeds
-1/4 cup hemp seeds
-1/4 cup shredded coconut
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 teaspoon salt
To make:
-Combine dates, tahini, and water in food processor until smooth.
-Combine rest of ingredients in large bowl.
-Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with hands until thoroughly combined.
-Spread on parchment covered baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring about every 10 minutes to prevent burning.
-Store in sealed container in fridge (if there is any left, that is).
Pro tips:
-If you like dried fruit in your granola, add it after the granola cools to preserve texture.
-If you like a sweeter granola, add some pure stevia powder to the date/tahini mixture a little at a time until desired sweetness is reached.
-Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder or carob powder along with an extra tablespoon of water to the date/tahini mixture for a chocolatey (or carobey?) treat.
For more plant based ideas head over to the Joyful Gym Rat page on Facebook
That’s some seedy looking granola….