Crunchy Vanilla Granola | SCD, Paleo, Gluten-Free

There was a point in time, when the kids were smaller, that we would fully embrace our mornings. We would find ourselves lulling around the kitchen and lazily cooking a large and lavish brunch. I distinctly remember the lack of rush and the ability to finish an actual cup of coffee. Fast forward to present day and it is a different scene. School mornings are rushed and chaotic and there is nothing calm about our kitchen. The counter tops are usually a site of destruction, the dog is barking to go out, someone can't find something (always) and we make our mad dash to the garage so we can get into the carline at a decent time. As for the weekends, sadly, brunch is a rare sighting these days. I am usually on the road with one of the boys for soccer, traveling out of town or out of state. And if we happen to be home, we are forced to conquer and divide our games and field locations.

With all this being said, my children are to an age where they are capable of making their own breakfasts and I encourage them to do so. However, if I don't give guidance, chances are my oldest would make a smoothie every day or oatmeal, which happens to be a very special treat. After four plus years of following the SCD diet, we have successfully introduced organic oats. While my son could eat this every single day, it's important to remember these new foods should only be consumed in moderation. To make it easier for the family, I like to have simple breakfast foods prepped in advance.

Granola is a great option for breakfast and can be served several different ways; add it to yogurt and fruit, pour almond milk over it, or layer it into a berry parfait. You can even add it to homemade ice-cream for a sweet treat! (You can find my easy vanilla ice-cream recipe HERE, but it's from a very old post so the cookies are not SCD compliant.) In the photos above, we used homemade vanilla yogurt, added thinly sliced Bosc pears, granola and a homemade date syrup drizzle.

CRUNCHY VANILLA GRANOLA
SCD, Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
yield: about 5 cups

INGREDIENTS
1 egg white
1 cup cashews
1 cup almonds
1 cup pepitas
2 cups shredded coconut
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried cherries
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbs coconut oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. In a food processor, combine all the nuts and coconut. Pulse until desired texture.
3. Transfer to a large bowl and add the spices, honey and coconut oil. Mix together and then stir in the egg white. Add the raisins and cherries and stir to combine.
4. The dough will be slightly sticky. Press evenly into a pan lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely, at least for a 1/2 hour.
6. I like to break mine apart into large chunks, but the kids like it broken into smaller pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

**When purchasing your raisins or cherries make sure they don't have added sugar. We like THESE cherries.