Deliciously Crunchy Grain-Free Granola

This nutrient-packed Granola is a real favorite in my house. It can be used for a quick healthy breakfast or mid-day crunchy snack. Every couple weeks I make my Granola from what ever nuts, seeds and dry fruits I have at the moment. In this particular recipe I used dry turkish apricots and cranberries. Ideally I like to use dry cherries. The combination of apricots and cherries reminds me of my childhood and the small village I grew up in. Every spring our village would turn white because of blooming Apricot and Cherry trees. My grandma would dry apricots on top of the roof under a cheese cloth. As children we would climb on to the roof to snack on drying apricots . This granola can be sprinkled on oatmeal and yogurt, I also love to top my homemade chia seeds pudding with fresh fruits and my homemade granola.

Ingredients:

2 cups of raw almonds

2 cups of raw walnuts or pecans

1.5 cup of raw hazelnuts or cashews

2 cups of raw sunflower seeds

1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds

1 or 2 tsp of cinnamon

pinch of salt

2,5 cups of chopped dry fruits and berries of your choice.

In this recipe I used dry turkish apricots and cranberries.

1/3 of melted coconut oil

1/3 of maple syrup

vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp of water

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Roughly chop all the nuts. Next, mix nuts, seeds, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl mix together melted coconut, maple syrup, vanilla and couple tbsp of water.

Combine dry and wet ingredients and stir well.

Line the baking sheet with non-sticky paper and spread granola mix evenly on top.

Bake it in an oven for 30-35 min or until desired golden brown.Make sure, to rotate granola every 5-10 min to ensure that it baked evenly.

Remove the tray from the oven and while it is still hot, mix in chopped fruits and berries. The heat will enhance the flavor of fruits and berries into granola.

Let granola cool down completely before you put it in a sealed glass jar. Keep it refrigerated for optimum freshness. Enjoy and be healthy!