grain-free pumpkin granola

I don’t know about you guys, but sometimes, I Just. Want. Cereal. Especially crunchy, delicious granola. This is coming from a girl who literally lived off of granola in college. I had it in yogurt with fresh berries in the warm months (and because I went to Cal Poly, that means about 10 months of the year), and I would go for this pumpkin flax granola in the winter months, when I’d warm it in *gasp* the microwave soaked in *double gasp* soy milk. There is something sentimental to me when I think back to that pumpkin granola, and even though you couldn’t pay me to drink soy milk, I sure could go for a big bowl of that pumpkin goodness on occasion.

I have come A LONG way since those days, but that doesn’t mean I don’t crave granola anymore. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard to beat a breakfast of pastured bacon and eggs, but with the seasons FINALLY changing, so have my cravings, and suddenly, I have found myself with all things pumpkin on the brain and an itch to get in the kitchen and try out my own take on that old favorite. Who can blame me, when there are beautiful squashes like this at our farmer’s market? I ended up bringing home 5 today. Organic canned pureed pumpkin is great, but nothing beats fresh roasted pumpkins straight from the oven.

So with determination in my heart, I set out to make the perfect batch of pumpkin granola, and this recipe REALLY hit the spot. Enjoy cold or warm with whole raw milk, full fat coconut cream, or some delicious Uber almond mylk. You can even pack it on the go for a great snack! It’s free of any processed sugar and filled with healthy fats from coconut, cashews, and pumpkin seeds. Plus, it’s got some more added health benefits from cacao nibs and flax seeds. It’s super easy, and your kitchen will smell good all day. Can’t beat that!

So here you go! Introducing my Grain-Free Pumpkin Granola….

Grain-Free Pumpkin Granola (GF, DF)

Servings: 8
Time: 40 min
Difficulty: easy
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WHAT YOU NEED:

1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 TB extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (fresh roasted or organic canned)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cups raw, sprouted pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw cashews (you can sub pecans, walnuts, etc)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup organic flax seeds
1/4 cup organic cacao nibs
1 cup chopped dried figs (you could also use golden raisins or berries, but I love dried figs)

Ingredient notes can be found HERE**

WHAT YOU DO:

preheat oven to 300 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
in a small pan, mix together honey, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla
bring to a slight boil then remove from heat
stir in the pumpkin and spices
in a large mixing bowl mix together pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, flax seeds, cacao nibs, and chopped figs.
pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir together (I like to use my hands here)
pour the mixture into the parchment paper and spread evenly
Bake for 10 minutes, stir it, flatten out again, and repeat every 10 minutes until it has baked 25-30 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn!
let your granola cool completely, place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight
break it up into chunks, store it in a mason jar, and enjoy on it’s own or in your favorite milk (raw whole milk, coconut milk, or my favorite Uber Almond Mylk)

Enjoy! And get ready because I have two new recipes coming in this week… paleo pumpkin bacon chili AND a new pumpkin pie recipe that will knock your socks off. Pie is just my favorite. Stay tuned!