“I tell you, I’m really not what you’d call into your basic kink, even though we do live in Hollywood, which is a little bit like living in a box of granola.” – McLean Stevenson
Small brag – not sure if you know this but I’m sort of world-famous for my Christmas granola. And, by world-famous, I mean I have two friends who have come to expect a H U G E jar come the silly season every single year. These two generally start dropping hints about their granola expectations in November. And, while the super-secret base recipe remains the same, each year I change it up. One year it might be cranberry and white chocolate. Another, it may be dark chocolate and macadamia. I haven’t decided on this year’s flavour combo’…
But, here’s the thing. It’s fortunate that I’m really fond of these two because my home-made granola is a bit of a labour of love. Wanna’ know why?
Because I can’t eat it!
It has oats in it. And oats do not agree with me. All part of that autoimmune thing. Bah humbug.
So instead, pre-autoimmune protocol, I had been known to indulge in the very yummy ‘Nutola’ – a grain-free granola recipe. Expensive, but v e r y good. And, it’s become a staple for my health-conscious brother-in-law. I’m looking forward to indulging in my Nutola – activated nuts and all – in the not too distant future.
But now that I’ve been on this restricted way of eating for so long, I started thinking about all those peeps who can’t eat granola because of the nut-factor. And, even worse if they have complications with oats and nuts.
And then, because I have one of my favourite people visiting me from New Zealand later in the week, and she doesn’t have any of my dietary challenges, I started thinking about what I was going to feed her for breakfast in my house that has no eggs and no toast and no cereal and very little fruit…
And I came up with the idea of a nut-free granola crunch…
You know me. I like recipes that work and that are not too complicated. And, that taste good! This one is so easy, I reckon’ I could almost do it in my sleep.
It’s also a goodie for those who are starting to reintroduce foods on the autoimmune protocol. Seeds are usually near the top of the list for being least likely to cause an inflammatory response. Especially if they are activated!
- 200g sunflower seeds (preferably activated/soaked)
- 200g sesame seeds
- 250g Pumpkin seeds/pepitas (preferably activated/soaked)
- 50g organic coconut oil, melted
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Heat your oven to 180°C/3600°F. Line a rimmed baking tray with baking paper (makes cleaning up a lot easier!)
- Mix all your ingredients together thoroughly in a large bowl. Spread evenly over the baking paper lined tray.
- Bake until golden - about 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and keeping an eye on the mixture so it doesn't burn (nuts and seeds can burn easily and will turn bitter)
- Remove from oven and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container. I keep mine in the fridge.
E N J O Y !
I’m at the reintroduction stage of my autoimmune protocol adventure. That means I can start reintroducing foods that have previously been excluded. This is managed in a very systematic way – one food at a time, starting with things that are least likely to cause a problem (or that I miss the most!). I’m keeping a food and mood journal and recording any unusual symptoms or changes in mood. It’s actually proving to be more work that strict AIP!
I look forward to further documentation (& recipes!) as you move through the reintroduction of your AIP. By ‘activated’ I’m assuming you mean soaked…
Ahhh – different terms can get you unstuck in blog-land! Yes – activated nuts and seeds are soaked or sprouted. I will amend the post. Thanks Petra!
Sounds delicious and easy to make in advance for a quick morning bite on the way out the door – and we have all things in the cupboard (unsprouted). Thanks!
DW – I got the tick of approval for my visiting Kiwi mate. Let me know what you think?