Alaya’s Homemade Granola

Enjoy this with plant-based milk and fresh fruit on top!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

• 2 cup mixed nuts (e.g., pecans, walnuts, almonds)

• ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds

• ½ cup flaxseeds

• ½ cup chia seeds

• 1/2 cup hemp seeds

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

• 1 medium hand of fresh ginger root, grated

• 1/2 cup juice of choice or 1/2 water with lemon (to activate the chia and flax seeds) a bit more if needed to cover seeds.

• 1 cup pure maple syrup

• ⅔  cup coconut oil, melted  or avocado  oil

• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 

• 3 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1 Tablespoon nutmeg

• 1Tablespoon cardamom powder, optional

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 325°F (175°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine Ingredients: Whisk together the wet ingredients (melted oil, maple syrup, vanilla)

3. In a large bowl, mix oats, nuts, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes, ginger root, cinnamon, cardamom and salt, mix well by hand to make sure ginger is spread out throughout the mixture,

4. In a bowl place chia and flax seeds, add 1/2 cup juice or water. Let sit for 15 minutes to absorb liquid and make the mixture sticky. Massage this mixture well into the dry ingredients.

5. Now add wet ingredients and mix well until it is full coated with wet ingredients, 

6. Bake: Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 min, until golden brown. Press the granola down to encourage clusters. Be careful as it can burn easy so keep checking and stirring.

7. Take out of the oven and let cool, when cool place granola in a bowl and stir in your dried berries of choice. Make sure granola is completely cool before storage. Store in an airtight container.