Nut freeHomemade granola

This protein packed nut free granola is so freaking good. Being allergic to nuts / having a nut free diet brings its own set of challenges. Among them, a drought of nutritious, low sugar, protein packed options for granola at the grocery store! So I decided to make my own a long time ago and it’s still our go to. I make the full batch and bake some nuts on the side to add to my portion of the granola (I’m not nut free).

INGREDIENTS

Gluten Free Oats (you need 2 cups)
Pumpkin Seeds (1/4 cup)
Sunflower Seeds (1/2 cup)
Hemp Seeds (1/4 cup)
Goji Berries (1/2 cup)
Flax Meal (1/4 cup)
Chia Seeds (1/4 cup)
Cinnamon (1 TBS)
Ginger Powder (1 TBS)
Maple Syrup (3/4 cup)
Melted Coconut Oil (3/4 cup)
Honey (About 2 TBS)
Coconut Flakes (handful)
Dried Fruit (raisons, cherries, apricots, dates, figs)
Optional: for those of you who can eat nuts, I chopped and baked walnuts, almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts mixed with a little salt and olive oil in the oven at 350°F for 25 min (or until lightly browned)

MAKE

Set oven to 350F
Add to large bowl: gf free rolled oats, sunflower seeds, flax meal, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, chia seeds, ginger powder, cinnamon powder; Mix
Add to small bowl: melted coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, a bit of sea salt; Mix
Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & spray lightly with oil
Dump mix onto parchment paper & spread with a spatula until its a thin layer (not too thick that it won’t bake but not too thin that it will burn and crumble instead of break apart)
Place sheet in oven and bake for 25 min
Remove sheet and mix granola with spatula
Spread it out again
Sprinkle with coconut flakes
Bake for another 20 min (watch it diligently because every oven is a bit different)
Take it out when lightly browned (it might seems a bit gooey still, that’s okay! But if it is not browned then put it back in)
Sprinkle immediately with favorite dried fruits
Optional: Add chopped nuts to separate parchment sheet sprayed with avocado oil, drizzle with olive oil and salt, bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes, add to jar and sprinkle on granola
Let harden/cool for 10 min