Oil-less Granola

I love making this recipe. It’s easy to make and doesn’t take a ton of time and effort. I sprinkle it in my yogurt or smoothie bowl, most of the time. If I’m feeling super lazy, I’ll pour on some almond milk and eat it as a cereal…taste good either way! Another good thing about this recipe is that you can use literally any nuts or seeds you have on hand. It really doesn’t matter. I try to keep hemp seeds on hand especially. They’re a great source of protein, and are high in vitamin E, phosphorus, potassium, and iron.

Now, let’s talk about tahini. Tahini is a paste made out of sesame seeds. That’s it! There are a lot of companies out there selling tahini with a massive amount of other ingredients and they usually taste horrible. It has a mild flavor and taste just like what it is. It should be fairly runny and tan or brown in color. If you want a good quality tahini, it’s best to go to an International store. They usually have several brands, but they know what they’re doing. Some people may not like the taste or texture so feel free to use almond butter in the place of it instead. The cinnamon and nutmeg give the granola a warm spice taste and the salt just brings out the flavors of all those spices. I use Ceylon cinnamon in a lot of my recipes because it contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and also supports the immune system.

Another thing I like to do with this recipe is add in dark chocolate chips! I am a chocolate-holic so anytime I can add it, I will. When the granola comes out of the oven, sprinkle on 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips and fold over pieces of the granola with the spatula. Once it cools, you’ll have some awesome granola chocolate clusters!