no-bake granola

Recently one of my cooking classes focused on Warm Weather Breakfasts, featuring this incredible No-Bake Granola. This recipe is loosely inspired by Lisa over at Vegan Culinary Crusade. She makes a great raw granola of ground oats, nuts, and apricots served as part of a raw parfait. I stuck with those original ingredients and added a little bit of this, a little bit of that. All you need to do is bust out your food processor, no oven needed.

finished No-Bake Granola

No-Bake Granola

½ cup pitted Medjool dates
1 cup whole raw almonds
½ cup whole oats
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup raisins
⅓ cup almond butter
¼ cup liquid coconut oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch sea salt

1. Add dates to food processor and pulse to mince (do not over-process). Remove from processor and turn out into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Add almonds to processor and grind to a powder. Add to dates.
3. Add oats to processor and grind until fine, add to dates and almonds. Use your fingers to coat the date pieces in oat/almond flour. Add pumpkin seeds and raisins until mixture is combined. Set aside.
4. Add almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to processor and blend until creamy. Pour over granola mixture, and mix with a large spoon to coat.
5. Let stand at least an hour for flavors to meld. Serve cold with your favorite non-dairy milk, as a topping for oatmeal, or sprinkled over fresh fruit. Store mixture for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.

Yield: 4-5 cups granola