Gluten Free Chewy Granola

Who doesn't love scrumptious, sweet granola? It's the one food you can generally find in the to go form and still feel good about eating it. Truth be told, I am not a granola fan. Is it possible this is because I think they are disguised desert bars? My answer is undoubtedly "Yup!" Modern day granola bars are in fact, not healthy and loaded with sugar. Look at the ingredient list next time you buy a box at the grocery store or grab one at the check out line, there is most likely more ingredients and sugars than the recipe that follows. So why not keep it simple, know your ingredients and control the amount of sugar your granola has if you want to make yourself a truly healthy snack.

Since the bulk ingredient in this recipe is oats, I encourage you to research where you are sourcing your grains as mill processing varies and this ultimately can make a tremendous difference in the nutrition that is delivered to you. I claim that this recipe is gluten free, however it is important to note that oats are commonly processed in facilities that process other grains (that contain gluten) so to be sure there is no trace of gluten it is recommended you buy gluten free oats, Bob's Red Mill is a trusted source. We are using oats from a wholesale company known as Grain Millers located in Eugene for this recipe.

We also use dried strawberries and apples from our homestead that we dehydrated just days prior to our long journey north in our scramble to preserve as much food as we possibly could. Although our dehydrator is primarily used for venison jerky we opted to utilize it due to limited fridge/freezer space in the RV. We had this poor machine running for almost 24 hours a day for a week straight and are so happy we did! The flavor these little dried fruits pack is unreal, each and every bite bursts with a condensed, tart flavor.

We have to thank Bear Mountain Honey from Creswell, Oregon for the 10 pounds of luscious sticky honey that Eric was able to barter for food grade barrels. Barter, a golden word for every homesteader and farmer.

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For the recipe:

• 4 cups oats

• 1 1/2 cups dried strawberries and apples, chopped

• 1 cup chopped almonds

• 1 cup coconut flakes

• 1 cup honey

• 1 cup peanut butter

• 1/4 cup chia seeds

• 1/4 cup flax seeds

• 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Line a glass 8 x 8 glass baking dish with parchment paper.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients and mix: oats, dried fruit, almonds, coconut flakes, chia seeds, flax seeds and cinnamon then mix.

3. Melt the peanut butter in a sauce pan on low until you can stir easily.

4. Add the honey to the peanut butter and stir together.

5. Pour the peanut butter and honey mixture over the dry ingredients and thoroughly mix.

6. Pour the granola into the prepared glass baking dish and smoosh the granola mixture. For a dense granola bar, press firmly.

7. Refrigerate for 24 hours prior to serving.

Enjoy!

Our favorite way to eat the granola is sprinkled over kefir (a tangy probiotic rich yogurt), they provide just the right amount of sweetness and crunch.

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Gluten Free Chewy Granola Recipe

Ingredients

4 cups oats

1 1/2 cups dried strawberries and apples, chopped

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup coconut flakes

1 cup honey

1 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Line a 8 x 8 glass baking dish with parchment paper.

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl: oats, dried fruit, almonds, coconut flakes, chia seeds, flax seeds and cinnamon, then mix.

3. Melt the peanut butter in sauce pan on low heat until it can be easily stirred.

4. Add the honey to the peanut butter and mix together.

5. When honey and peanut butter mixture is a pourable consistency, pour over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

6. Use a spatula to pour granola into the glass dish and push down on the granola until densely packed.

7. Refrigerate for 24 hours prior to serving.