Hazelnut, cardamon and cacao granola
The aroma of this delicious granola wafting through your kitchen will have you wanting to dive head first into this sweet and spicy flavour combo. Using activated nuts and seeds is not only more digestion friendly but makes this even more nutrition as your body can access all the bountiful vitamins, minerals and proteins available (see below). I use raw honey as a binder, which gives a great depth of flavour and I believe is one of the better sweetener options. Serve this with your milk of choice, either raw or organic unhomogenised dairy milk or plant-based milk. Milk kefir also works well. Allow it to soak into the granola and eat with delight for a gut friendly start to the morning.
~ Eve Kalinik
OVERVIEW
Makes: 350g (approx 7-8 servings)
INGREDIENTS
130g activated hazelnuts
45g activated pecans
65g activated cashews
30g activated pumpkin seeds
30g activated sunflower seeds
20g coconut chips
25g cacao nibs
2 ½ tbs raw honey
1 tbs melted coconut oil
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground cardamon
1tsp fennel seeds
seeds from 1 vanilla pod
3 generous pinches mineral-salt
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas 2. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Place the activated hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut chips and cacao nibs in a food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds to break down a bit into smaller chunks, but not too fine. transfer to a large bowl. Add the honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, cardamon, fennel seeds, vanilla and salt. Mix thoroughly until well coated. Transfer to the baking tray and bake for 20mins, then give it a stir and pop back in for a further 15mins. Alternatively, you can use a dehydrator at 46°C for 24hrs.
Store in a sealed glass jar in a cool dry place or the fridge.
Tip:
Add generous dollop of coconut yoghurt with a drizzle of raw honey if you want an extra indulgent brekkie.
RECIPE CREDIT
Activated Nuts
Activating nuts basically means soaking them and then drying them out. This is an important process because it helps reduce the physic acid and other substances that can impair our absorption of nutrients and may also cause irritation to the gut. You’re essentially both removing inhibitors, and also making the nutrients more bioavailable. When I buy nuts and seeds, I buy them in bulk and activate them all at once before I store them in my glass jars.