Sprouted Happy Apple Granola

In honor of all things fall I am super excited to share this amazing sprouted granola recipe from one of my long-time inspirations Cafe Gratitude. It's sweet, it's crunchy, very low sugar, no oil, packed with antioxidant rich spices and is quickly becoming one of my new fall standards. This amazing cereal will practically dress your kids and drive them to school. ;) Practically. 

 I marveled at my food processor, that I have used a THOUSAND times with the S-blade, when I for the first time (in maybe years!) switched out for the shredder blade. Wow. Major break-though.  Here I am standing in my kitchen ankle deep in all these apples wondering what the actual hell am I going to do with all of these things. Then BAM, I flipped through the old-school raw food cookbook I Am Grateful and this recipe stole my heart like a thief in the night. SO. Good. And it takes like 7 apples to make a single batch, so off we skipped, hand in hand, down the food processing yellow brick road. 

Sprouting takes a little more attention and patience than your average wham-bam oven granola, but believe me, it is as my friend said the other day, "Worth it's weight in Gold." Boom. Yeah, I know. There are so many good reasons to get into a relationship soaking your nuts, seeds, and beans. Not only will this expedite the cooking process (as with beans), but it also allows you to cross through the wardrobe into the literal Narnia of nutrients held within these tiny magicians. I will post something soon just on the benefits of sprouting, as literally as I write this I am almost moved to tears by how powerful this information is. But in the meantime, a quick search on Google will present you with a mini-mountain of information. 

Why soak nuts, grains and seeds?

• 1. To remove or reduce phytic acid.

• 2. To remove or reduce tannins.

• 3. To neutralize the enzyme inhibitors.

• 4. To encourage the production of beneficial enzymes.

• 5. To increase the amounts of vitamins, especially B vitamins.

• 6. To break down gluten and make digestion easier.

• 7. To make the proteins more readily available for absorption.

• 8. To prevent mineral deficiencies and bone loss.

• 9. To help neutralize toxins in the colon and keep the colon clean.

• 10. To prevent many health diseases and conditions

For more information on sprouting times and benefits of soaking/sprouting, check out this lovely raw food blogger Oolaboolah.

  "I Am Great" Granola by Terces Englehart and Orchid

 Makes about 8 cups

1 1/2 c soaked almonds

1/2 c soaked sunflower seeds

1/2 c soaked whole buckwheat 

7 small apples or 5 cups grated apple

1/2 c pureed dates(about 7 large dates)

1/2 c cranberries

1/2 c dry coconut

1/2 c agave nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 teaspoon salt

Rinse and drain the grain and seeds. Place into a  large bowl. Grate enough apple to make five cups of grated fruit (about 7 small apples). This is where your "Shredder Blade" attachment for your food processor will have you grinning from ear to ear. Otherwise a stand up cheese grater will also work just fine. 

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the "S-blade", puree the dates into a fine paste. If your dates are really dry you can add a little of the apple. 

Now, add all of your fruit and remaining ingredients to your seeds and nuts. Mix well. Use your hands, people. Use the hands!

Prepare two dehydrator trays with both the grid and Teflex sheets. You can use all of your trays if you dehydrator isn't full of other things, as this will speed up you drying time! Divide your granola mixture into as many parts as trays you will be using. Spread out the granola with your hands and dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour, then reduce temperature to 115 degrees. When your granola is dry enough to peel off the Teflex sheets, do so and place onto the grid sheets. Continue to dehydrate until dry. 

This recipe will easily double of triple. you can also keep it in the fridge for one day if you don't have room to dehydrate it all at once. 

This recipe is easy to adjust to your liking! If you don't like coconut, leave it out. In other words, be creative! If you use dried fruit, you can add it at the end and it will stay much moister. Alternatively you can re-hydrate the dried fruit by soaking in warm water for about 15 minutes and add directly in with the main batch of granola. 

This granola once fully dried will be shelf-stable and last for weeks and weeks! Also a makes a great gift. Yum!