Whether you are on the Paleo diet, adding healthy living into your every day life, or simply enjoying delicious foods, this is your granola.
Scratch that.
This is your NO-grain-ola.
Why no grain? On Friday my friendly U.S. Postal Service Worker delivered a care package from my sister who lives in Pennsylvania. As I hungrily tore open the package I discovered a Ziploc quart bag filled with granola and a note. Scribbled in pencil was a note “Love U! Hope you like it!! PS – I eat this 4 dessert.”
My sister Stacey has taunted me with this no-grain-ola. On and on and on and on and on and on she has gushed about how delicious it is and how all of my niece’s college friends come over and gobble up the granola, oops, I mean no-grain-ola. Stacey was on the Paleo diet last year and now has morphed it into an all-things-wholesome diet. During the Paleo time she experimented and came up with this perfect blend.
What’s in it? The base is mostly slivered or sliced almonds and she always adds in a smattering of other nuts, like pecans and walnuts and ground flax seed. She mixes honey, coconut oil, vanilla, nutmeg and cardamom in a saucepan and brings to boil and then works in the nuts and seeds. Bake like regular granola on a sheet pan at 300 degrees until it is nicely golden. Remove it and mix in raisins and shredded coconut. Cool it down and bam! You’re ready to start snacking.
What makes the no-grain-ola different than regular granola? One word: chewiness. This snack is soft, tasty, and sweet with savory chewiness. For many people who suffer from the bloating that accompanies heavy digesting grains, this is your next favorite healthy treat. For the rest of us, yes it IS good enough for dessert.
Two words: make it.
Q: What is your person favorite ingredient in granola?
Happy no-grain-ola crunching!
Lyndi
Eat well, my friends. Eat well.
Debbie says
Do you have an actual recipe? I would love for you or Stacey to share it:) Pretty please.
nwafoodie says
Absolutely! Here is her creation..
No-Grain-ola
Ingredients
5 cups nuts and seeds (3c almonds; 1.5c pecans; .5c walnuts; 1/4c flax seed ground
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cardamom
1 cup raisins
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Instructions
1. Mix honey, oil, vanilla, nutmeg and cardamom in saucepan and bring to boil.
2. Mix with the mixed nuts and seeds.
3. Spread in pan and bake at 300F for about 30 minutes (stir every 5 minutes) until it is nicely golden.
4. Remove from oven and mix in raisins and coconut.
5. Cool in pan
Source: Stacey Peterson, StormFlight Designs.com
Lavidafranco says
I can't wait to try this! Super awesome!!
nwafoodie says
When you do, tell me all about it!!
Whitney Sutherland says
I shared this with my sister who loves granola! Hope you are doing well and miss you!
nwafoodie says
Thanks for sharing it with her. The sister in Tulsa or NWA? Either way, thank you for sharing!
Doing well and miss you, too. Hope to see you soon Whitney.
Jacqueline Wolven says
I riffed on this and it is AMAZING!
I made some small substitutions, additions and eliminations:
Grape Seed oil for the coconut oil because I am not thrilled with the saturated fat in coconut oil
Brown Rice Syrup for the honey because it is a more complex sugar
No coconut – husband doesn't like it sadly
Nuts used: almonds, walnuts, pecans
Seeds used: sunflower and pumpkin
AMAZING! Yum! Thank you! This was such a no brainer – I have been making Cracker Jackies for years and, duh, this is even better! And now that we are experimenting with no gluten I thought that granola wasn't going to happen for me… but it did! Thank you to you and your sis!
nwafoodie says
Jackie, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! Love the substitutions, especially the brown rice.
Girllll… I just found a new gluten-free (and vegan) blog that I think you would love…http://www.cafejohnsonia.com/. I will tweet it to you but wanted to include it here in case someone else wants it.
Did I mention that I am proud of you?
Debbie says
I guess Jackie and I can't leave things alone! I loved her suggested additions/changes:). I added walnut, sliced almonds, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. I also used some huckleberry honey:). Since we are not gluten intolerant, I also added in steel cut oats. So, so good! I topped my Greek yogurt with it this am❤❌⭕.
nwafoodie says
You had me at huckleberry honey!! Well done Debbie!!!
Vic T. says
Wow! I’m thinking of doing this as I also just got started doing paleo. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Lyndi Fultz says
Do it! 🙂 And good luck!!