Recipe Collection: Soaked Granola

This recipe is a reader request.  And, my children love cereal, but I won’t buy it for them.  If you didn’t know, commercial cereals (yes, even natural/organic ones) are made with extruded grains.  It’s a process where grains are subject to intense heat and pressure and the protein becomes denatured and toxic.  Especially with my children struggling with normal whole grains, I’m not about to subject them to that.

So, granola is the answer.  My daughter said it’s “Nola bar cereal.”  And soaked is key because my kids don’t tolerate unsoaked oats, either.  But the soaking isn’t a big deal at all and it’s healthier for all of us.

I’ll get a picture of it on here tonight.  My batch is still baking (early taste tests are yummy) and I’m still learning how to download from my new camera.

Ingredients:

• 4 c. rolled oats
• 1/4 c. freshly ground white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. – 3/4 c. filtered water (warm)
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 c. almonds
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/4 c. coconut oil, melted

Directions:

The night before, mix oats and flour together in a large glass bowl.  Pour lemon juice and enough water to lightly moisten it and stir together.  It shouldn’t be too wet.  Cover with a towel and set aside for 12 – 18 hours.

In another bowl, put almonds, sea salt, and enough water to cover.  Stir together and let it sit overnight.

In the morning, drain the almonds.  Dump the almonds and oat mix onto a large baking sheet (I used 16×20 with low sides).  Pour the vanilla, honey, and coconut oil over it and stir together, then spread it out.  Bake at 250 for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Serve hot, or store in the pantry in a sealed bag for about a week.  Serve with milk or over yogurt or as desired.  Makes about 5 cups.