Soaked Granola.

When I first began writing this blog, we had still just begun our food journey. And even though it's only been a year and a few months, we've still made wonderful progress. We've been able to eliminate white flour, white sugar, prepackaged cereals, breads, tortillas, chips, crackers, blah blah blah.

Well, in this process, we've also eliminated our beloved granola. Not because it was unhealthy or prepared with bad ingredients, but rather, we had eliminated it because the grains were completely unsoaked and therefore, very difficult for our bodies to digest. And now that we've changed our food philosophy, this makes perfect sense, as all our grains and flours are pretreated to break down the phytates that block mineral absorption in our guts.

All that to say, this past week, I made a deliciously wonderful batch of soaked granola. It has the same consistency as your favorite 'ol granola, it just takes a little bit longer to prepare!

Don't let the timeline of this recipe scare you. Even though it's a process, it's extremely passive and hardly takes any more effort than our old recipe. On top of that, it's healthy, easy for your body to breakdown, and much less expensive than store-bought varieties.

Next time I make it, I think I'll do a double batch. That will be enough to last us two or three weeks, making the process all the more worth it. And thanks to Whole Intentions for sharing the recipe!

Soaked Homemade Granola
You will need:
 - 8 cups organic rolled oats, or rolled grains of your choice
 - 1 cup butter/coconut oil or any combination of the both, melted
 - 2 cups plain yogurt (homemade works great!)
 - 2 cups water

 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 - 1 teaspoon almond extract
 - 3/4 cup raw honey
 - 1 teaspoon sea salt
 - 3 teaspoons cinnamon (or spice of your choice)
 - 2/3 cup coconut flakes
 - 1 cup dried fruit of choice
 - 1 cup toasted nuts of choice (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.)

Step One: Combine the oats, water, coconut oil and/or butter, and yogurt together in a bowl. Stir, pat down & cover. Let sit for 24 hours. *Note: If you haven't already soaked & dehydrated your nuts, go ahead and throw them in at this step so that they can benefit from the soaking as well!

Step Two: The next day, combine the honey, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, & cinnamon together in a small saucepan. Heat gently to combine all the ingredients.

Step Three: Pour the honey mixture over the soaked oats and using a little elbow grease, stir to combine. Add the coconut at this point, as well.

Step Four: Spread the granola mixture out onto a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper). Put in the oven at a low setting (170-200 degrees) and let it hang out in there until completely dry, stirring every so often to check on it (this will take anywhere from 12-24 hours). When you think it's getting close, break apart a clump of the granola to ensure the inside of the clump is dried as well.

An alternative would be to spread the granola in little clumps on your dehydrator trays and dehydrate the mixture that way, though this will take an extra day or so of drying. After it's finished, add in the dried fruit & nuts and stir to combine.

I know, I know, the time factor is discouraging you from making this recipe, but I assure you it is worth it. It may not give the instant gratification we are so used to in our culture, but there is something quite fabulous about preparing something slow and intentional. It's fun, in a twisted-sort-of-foodie-way, to gently labor over something like this and have a beautiful result to show for it.

This granola is absolutely delicious when it's swimming in raw milk.

It's also delicious with some summer-frozen-berries and homemade yogurt.

Or even just shoved into a baggie to munch on in the car. What? A girl gets hungry!

Whichever way you choose to enjoy this wonderful granola, I hope that you do just that...enjoy it.

For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.

Soaked Homemade Granola

• 8 cups organic rolled oats, or rolled grains of your choice
• 1 cup butter/coconut oil ( or any combination of the both, melted)
• 2 cups plain yogurt ((homemade works great!))
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• ¾ cup raw honey
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 tsp cinnamon ((or spice of your choice))
• ⅔ cup coconut flakes
• 1 cup dried fruit of choice
• 1 cup toasted nuts of choice ((almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.))

1. Combine the oats, water, coconut oil and/or butter, and yogurt together in a bowl. Stir, pat down & cover. Let sit for 24 hours. *Note: If you haven't already soaked & dehydrated your nuts, go ahead and throw them in at this step so that they can benefit from the soaking as well!

2. The next day, combine the honey, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, & cinnamon together in a small saucepan. Heat gently to combine all the ingredients.

3. Pour the honey mixture over the soaked oats and using a little elbow grease, stir to combine. Add the coconut at this point, as well.

4. Spread the granola mixture out onto a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper). Put in the oven at a low setting (170-200 degrees) and let it hang out in there until completely dry, stirring every so often to check on it (this will take anywhere from 12-24 hours). When you think it's getting close, break apart a clump of the granola to ensure the inside of the clump is dried as well.