Grain Free Granola

Or "bird seed" as my brother called it. He and I grew up on cereal for breakfast, mainly Honey Nut Cheerios. It seemed only natural that I would continue the tradition with my kids, right? So I stocked my pantry with Honey Bunches of Oats. I thought I was doing my kids right serving up wholesome whole grain. Who knew? Now I know better. No grain, no pain. (For more information, read this.)

But cereal for breakfast is a hard habit to kick, and shortly after eliminating grain from our diet, I knew I needed a replacement for those granola clusters we had learned to know and love. I googled "paleo granola" and spliced a few recipes together to find the right combination of crunch, texture, and sweetness. It's perfect on top of plain yogurt or with some raw milk (if you do dairy), nut milk, or coconut milk. I've even put it on top of mashed sweet potatoes. Much better than marshmallows.

Grain Free Granola

2 cups sliced almonds

1 cup each sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (raw and unsalted)

3/4 cup each unsweetened coconut and raisins

1/2 cup each sesame seeds and ground flax meal

1/4 cup each honey and butter or coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine nuts, seeds, flax meal, coconut and raisins. In a small saucepan, combine butter and honey and heat until melted. Add vanilla and almond extract to the butter and honey, and pour over the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Spread granola onto a large baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes. Let the granola cool, then break into small clusters. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Enjoy!