SCD & Paleo Sprouted Granola

Help! Can’t stop shoving in face!

I’m sure you’ve seen a thousand paleo granolas but I wrote my favorite one down that is filled with sprouted nuts and seeds to make them much easier on the digestive system. If you’re having any sort of gut issues, bloating, abdominal pain, I highly recommend trying to soak or sprout your nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes before consuming. It was a game changer for me. This removes the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors, which cannot be digested, so your gut can break down and actually absorb the nutrients. If you’re not absorbing the nutrients from the foods you’re eating, you could be doing more harm than good. Don’t miss out on all those nutrients, honey! If you’re into seed cycling to regulate hormones, you can swap out pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds* during your ovulation and luteal phases to boost progesterone levels and use pumpkin seeds during menstrual and follicular phases for estrogen boost. I also like to make this recipe with honey roasted cinnamon walnuts but you can use plain as well. When I buy a bag of nuts, I immediately just soak and roast the whole thing and store in the fridge so if I’m baking or snacking on them, I know they’re already soaked and ready to go. Also feel free to swap out cinnamon for your favorite flavor like pumpkin spice, apple pie spice, cardamom, anything!

Ingredients

1 Cup Soaked Pecans*
1 Cup Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds** (I like these)
1/2 Cup Soaked Walnuts*
1/2 Cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted
2 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Almond Extract - Optional

Recipe

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and almond extract (if using) until fully combined. Set aside.

NOTE: You’ll want to soak and roast your pecans and walnuts before hand so they are fully cooked before adding them to this granola. If you use soaked and not cooked nuts, they won’t fully cook in the time allotted in this recipe.

Next add pecans, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds into a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. You don’t want to pulse too much and end up with tiny powder like pieces. You can also chop by hand if you don’t have a food processor.

Add chopped nuts, seeds, and shredded coconut to the coconut oil mixture. Stir to combine. Make sure mixture is coated evenly.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten, evenly. Bake for 15 minutes. Edges should start to turn brown. Let cool then stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes so the coconut oil can harden giving you better granola clumps.

Break into clumps and store in a glass jar. Can be kept at room temperature or in the fridge. Use to top smoothies, yogurt, or eat as cereal like I do!

NOTE: You can use un-soaked nuts and seeds for this recipe and it’ll taste the same but if you have any digestive issues, give soaking a try!

*To soak pecans, walnuts, and sunflower seeds (if using), place in a bowl or jar and cover with water. Let sit at room temperature for 4 hours. Can be more but no less. Drain and rinse nuts and spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325 and roast nuts for 25-30 min until hard. You can add a sprinkle of salt before roasting and toss together or roast them plain. I do these in big batches and store in fridge so they’re always handy.

**If you have pumpkin seeds you want to sprout yourself, soak for a minimum of 8 hours and then follow the same steps above to roast.