Friday, July 1, 2011

Pam's Paleo Crunch





Here's a recipe inspired by my friend Darren from the 6:00 a.m. Crossfit Freedom class. He challenged me to tweak a delicious paleo crunch recipe from jayneschultephoto.com. I have been making non-paleo granola for many years as holiday and teacher gifts. My kids call it my "famous" granola...and I don't give that recipe out without a fight (just ask my neighbors). But now that I don't eat that granola anymore, it was time to find a version that works for our family. Well, here it is! This is especially great for those of you who are ALMOST paleo but still haven't given up your oatmeal or cereal at breakfast. Try it alone or with a little coconut milk at breakfast or as a snack.

I will be experimenting with this recipe a little more in the coming weeks. I was able to get all of the nuts at the bulk section of our local supermarket, but I will soon be adding a tab to this site with my favorite online resources for nuts and other baking products. Be sure to use only raw honey as it has a much lower glycemic index and higher health benefits than pasteurized honey (30 vs. 75 according to www.organiclifestylemagazine.com).

I like to bake my granola "low and slow," as they say. It ensures a crunchy texture and reduces the chance of burning. Don't worry if the mixture is not crunchy when you remove it from the oven; it gets that way as it cools. It won't stay around your house for long, but you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for at least four days (we are on day four and it hasn't lost any crunchiness), probably much longer.

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients
Dry
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups almond meal
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
4 cups raw slivered almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Wet
1 cup liquified coconut oil
1/2 cup raw organic honey
3 tsp pure vanilla extract
Optional
1/2 cup unsweetened dried fruit

Preparation
 
Before Baking










  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
  2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well to ensure ingredients are evenly distributed.
  3. In a medium bowl, add wet ingredients and whisk together until well combined.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients thoroughly into the dry ingredients. 
  5. Divide the mixture in a thin layer onto two rimmed baking sheets. It will fill about 1 and 1/2 jelly roll pans.
  6. Press mixture down with your hands or the back of a large spoon.
  7. Bake until lightly toasted, approximately 1 hour. Remove pans from oven and gently stir the mixture with a large spoon. Carefully return warm pans to the oven and continue to cook for another 15 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven and stir in optional ingredients, if desired. Let the mixture cool completely in the pans. 
  9. To store, place a folded paper towel (to absorb any excess coconut oil) in the bottom of a lidded storage container. Add paleo crunch to container and cover. Enjoy plain or with coconut or almond milk.
After Baking



64 comments:

  1. Pam, this looks great. If I wanted to reduce the amount of honey, do you think I could get away with it? Or would it lose its cohesion?

    Mike

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  2. I think you might be able to get away with it as far as the sweetness goes, since the cinnamon really adds to the flavor. You might be able to decrease to a 1/4 cup. The consistency of this is crumbly anyway; it does not adhere like a typical granola. Give it a try and let me know what happens. I am out of raw honey so I won't be able to test until later this week.

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  3. This is absolutely getting added to the binder!
    Thanks

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  4. Hey Pam, do you like the coconut milk form a can or the one in the dairy isle..in the carton?

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  5. Good question! I have seen a lot of recommendations for So Delicious coconut milk in a carton. I tried it recently and thought it taste like water. I always use full-fat coconut milk in a can. I try to get organic, when possible. I like A Taste of Thai and Thai Kitchen brands.

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  6. Awesome, Jason--thanks! It's an honor for my recipe to make it into the binder!!

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  7. I have yet to see a coconut milk in a box that doesn't contain a bunch of soy stuff. So I always use the canned coconut milk. Awesomely delicious recipe, and I haven't even baked it yet!

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  8. Thanks, Gary! This is hard recipe to wait for until it's actually cooked! Glad you like it. I'm with you on the coconut milk. Just wish I could find an organic full-fat without guar gum!

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  9. Hey Pam,

    I've recently discovered your blog and cooking became such a fun again:). Thank you!

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  10. That is so nice to hear, Anon! The paleo crunch is ALMOST as fun to cook as it is to eat! :-) Thanks for the nice comments. Glad you found Paleo Table!!

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  11. I have two pans in the oven right now... and it tasted delicious before it even went in! I am dying to have it!

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  12. Thanks, Amy! This is actually one of the first things I'm making after my 21-day no-sugar detox. I miss it! Please enjoy some for me! I appreciate the post.

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  13. OM. FG.

    Ridiculous. This is amazing. Is it OK to eat an entire pan in one sitting? ;-)

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    1. Thanks, Tom! It all depends...How big is your pan? ;-) Your comment made my night. Glad you enjoyed it!

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  14. What would be an appropriate serving size? I think I could eat the whole thing!! Also, the fat content would be??

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    1. Hi, Anon. I would put a serving size at about 1/2 cup, but I'm not sure if I could really stop eating it at 1/2 cup! :-) I don't have the nutritional breakdown, but I think there are some free online tools available to help you figure it out if you need that info.

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  15. I made this and it's absolutely great! Fills that need for something sweet but I find it hard to stop eating it!!!
    Thanks for a wonderful recipe. I am new to your blog and love it.

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    1. Thanks, Anon! Sorry I didn't catch your post earlier. I agree that it's hard to stop eating this stuff! I have to space out my batches for that very reason. Thanks for the nice comments. Glad you enjoyed the crunch and I hope you are able to enjoy some other PT recipes, too!

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  16. Pam, I made this today. I didn't have the patience to sliver 4 cups of almonds, so just put them in the food processor for a bit, and then chopped up the larger pieces. I had a tiny bowl with some grass-fed milk for a snack this afternoon. Really tasty.

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    1. Thanks, Jim! Good sub for the almonds. I don't even know if slivering almonds at home is possible; I buy them already slivered. This recipe is very flexible though. You can really use whatever nuts you have on hand. Glad you enjoyed this great snack! Thanks for the nice comments!

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    2. I put the almonds through a salad shooter with the slicer blade and works! Not as perfect as the store...but good enough for me!

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    3. Very innovative! Now if I only had a salad shooter. I'll have to try that trick with my food processor slicer blade. Thanks for the tip, Susan!

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  17. Made it this week and my three boys who currently don't like anything went "nuts" over this! They love it - thank you for saving breakfast in our house.

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    1. Hi, Kristin! Kids are usually the toughest critics. I'm glad this won your boys over! Thanks for letting me know.

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  18. Pam, have you ever tried freezing some after you have made it? It makes so much..

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    1. I have never tried freezing it, but if you decide to try it, I would freeze the unbaked mixture and then bake it after thawing. If you decide to go that route, I'd love to hear how it turns out. The crunch does have a pretty long shelf life, or you could try halving the recipe.

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    2. Thanks for the tip Pam, it is totally delicious, as are all of the other recipes that we have tried from your list! I can't stop eating it!

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    3. You're welcome! I'm so glad you are enjoying the recipes! Thanks for letting me know.

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    4. I tried freezing some.. I'm happy to report that it freezes well. It was totally acceptably crunchy once it defrosted (I froze post cooking since I had already baked it) and it's not bad frozen either!

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    5. Thanks, Heidi! I'm so glad it freezes well since the recipe does make quite a bit. I really appreciate you testing that out and reporting back. It's really helpful!

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  19. I found this recipe and gave it to my dad. Lucky for me he makes it weekly and is keeping me in good supply. He is also sharing it with the members of our little CrossFit box who cannot believe this is paleo.

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    1. I'm so glad you like the crunch! It is quite a treat--you're lucky your dad is such a good supplier. :-) Thanks for spreading the word and for leaving such nice comments!

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  20. I just made this tonight! I cut the recipe in half and still have tons. It's delicious! Thank you, Laurie

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    1. Thanks, Laurie! Glad you like it! If you decide to make a full recipe, looks like Heidi was able to freeze it with good results. I appreciate your nice comments!

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  21. What would a "serving size" of this delicious concotion be? If I didn't portion it out, I'd probably eat waaaaay too much!

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    1. Hi, Stephanie! I'd keep a serving to 1/2 cup. Whenever something tastes SO addicting, you've got to be sure not to go overboard. :)

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  22. This is so good!!! This is the second time I'm making it! Last time, after I put the mixture in the oven, I literally licked the bowl and the spoon totally clean! This time I just couldn't help take a few bites of the mixture raw...and I think I might even like it better raw...the sweetness and texture is oh do good!!!

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  23. Me again...I ran out of space! Have you ever thought of rolling them into balls then having them harden in the fridge? As the coconut oil cools it solidifies so it would take on a nice texture like macaroons...and it would be raw food friendly!! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!! -Tracy

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  24. Hi, Tracy! Thanks for the great commets! I'm so glad you enjoy the crunch. I like your idea about a raw paleo crunch ball. I'm npt sure if there's enough coconut oil to hold it together so I may have to tweak the quantities a bit. I have it on my To Do list for this week. Thanks for the inspiration--I'll be sure to post the recipe once I've got it down!

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  25. Wow, thank you for this and for your blog overal, my girlfriend discover it and im sitting here loving every part of it. We are doing the whole30 challenge and looking for good motivation to finish it, and eventually become paleo for life. We will try this recipe for sure, i think i will just leave out the honey and maybe make some date-paste with a little bit more water to see how that works out. Thank you i will make sure to add you to my blog favorite links list. :)

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    1. Hi, Hector. Sounds like you are doing well on your Whole 30. I am a big fan of using date paste to sweeten and I bet it would work well for this recipe. I'd love to hear how it turns out. So honored to make your favorites list! Thanks for the nice comments and best of luck on your paleo journey!

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  26. Hi Pam! Like so many on here I've just discovered your blog and am sooooo happy I did! We've been struggling with the paleo lifestyle just because we were getting bored with the meat and roasted veggies every meal and let's face it, there are only so many eggs one person can eat lol! I can NOT wait to try every recipe on here! You have really inspired me and I'm excited about cooking again! Thank you for the time you have put into this awesome blog so the rest of us can look forward to mealtime again :)

    I also have one question...several of your recipes call for blanched almost flour. I looked at mine and it says blanched almond meal/flour, does that mean it's mixed? Should I look for flour only?

    Thanks so much again!!
    Kristy

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    1. Hi, Kristy! Thanks for the nice note--I'm so glad you are excited to give my recipes a go! We love the variety of foods that we eat and how great we feel after eating them.

      Almond meal is typically ground almonds. Almond flour is usually a finer grind and is typically blanched, skinned almonds. Almond meal is okay for things like paleo crunch and breading or adding to burgers. The finely ground almond flour works better for baked goods like scones or cake. The almond meal will work, but the texture will be more dense and will not rise as well. The almond flour gives a more delicate texture. Hope that helps!

      Thanks again for the kind words!

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  27. Late to the party, but just made this exactly as written but halved, and with half the amount of honey. I usually find sweetened things too sweet for my liking, so I figured it would be safe to use half the amount of honey. While it is very delicious, and I will eat it all up (hopefully, not at once), I think I would enjoy it more with 2/3 or 3/4 the amount of honey called for. In case this helps anyone. Thanks so much for posting this great receipt!

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    1. Hi, Marcia! I definitely don't like my foods too sweet and often cut back, as you did, on sweetened foods. Hopefully you'll find that even at the full amount, it isn't overpowering. I'd love to hear how your next batch goes with less sweetener. Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate you letting me know about your variations.

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  28. This is the best granola I have ever had!!

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  29. Alrighty Pam this stuff is golden!!

    It is de-lic-ious!!

    (I added pistacchios and cashews in place of pumpkin seeds and some of the almods because I had run out of almonds and I was just too lazy to go to another store across town to get them...) Anyway, even with those changes, it was wonderful!! Thanks!!!!!

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    1. Thanks, spom! We love it, too! Sounds like you made some good substitutions. That's one of the good things about this recipe. You can pretty much just work with what you have. Love your comments! Thanks!

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  30. I made this last week and it's FANTASTIC! I didn't have slivered almonds, but had some pecans and walnuts so i threw them in the mix. I stored it in the fridge and it was still crunchy after a week. Great stuff!

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    1. Mmm. The pecans and walnuts sound great! Also good to know it's still crunchy in the refrigerator. I usually store it at room temperature but for longer storage, I'm glad the crunch maintains the crunch. :) I appreciate you letting me know!

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  31. Great recipe!Keeps very well in the freezer. Used walnuts instead of slivered almonds for a batch and was tasty. Also added some dried cranberries.this is a winner.

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    1. Glad you liked the paleo crunch. Sounds like some good subs--I love walnuts! Thanks for the great feedback!

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  32. Hi Pam,
    I just found your blog, everything looks delicious! My daughter is allergic to tree nuts, so I was thinking of trying this granola with just the seeds, leaving out the almonds. But do you have any ideas of an acceptable substitute for the almond meal? could that be left out? or could we use flax meal or something else instead?

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    1. Hi, Amanda! Thanks for the compliment! You could definitely go with all seeds for this recipe. I haven't tried to sub the almond flour, but I'm thinking you could pulse some of the nuts in a food processor until they are a flour consistency and use them. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.

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  33. I'm new to the paleo way of eating. Haven't actually tried it yet, but I'm very interested in doing so. Is it okay for a diabetic to eat this way? Also, how do I find the nutritional facts for this and other recipes?

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    1. Hi, Jacki. I have read about diabetics getting great results after adopting a paleo lifestyle, but be sure to check with your doctor before making any drastic changes. I focus on recipes on this site, but there are some free sites where you can enter ingredients and it will give you nutritional information. Just Google it and you should see several options. I hope you find success in whatever you decide. In my opinion, eliminating processed foods and eating real foods is good for everyone--but you need to do what's right for you. :)

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  34. Probably a stupid question here, but, well, here goes: is "ground flax seed" the same thing as flax meal?

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    1. Hi, Ouida. Yes, they are one in the same! Not a stupid question at all. Thanks for asking!

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  35. Hi Pam! I'm slowly getting into being more focused on eating paleo but must admit it's hard because I do not care for shredded coconut, which is in a LOT of paleo recipes. I can deal w/the butter, oil, milk and water but really don't like the texture of shredded. I realize you can swap out nuts and such in this recipe pretty easily, but what would you recommend if I don't want to include the coconut?

    Your site is really quite a service. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hi, Cindy! The coconut helps to bulk up the recipe, but you could just leave it out and not replace the bulk. I would cut back a bit on some of the other ingredients though, especially the coconut oil. Try 1/2 cup and add more if it seems to need it. You could cut the honey a bit, too. I know not all people like coconut so I will put a non-coconut version on my TO DO list. I appreciate your note. Thanks for stopping by!

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  36. This looks delicious! I'm dying to try making a grain-free granola like this. I might have to use yours as inspiration!

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    1. Sounds great--happy to inspire! Thanks for the note and good luck with your granola!

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  37. Thanks for the recipe Pam. This is delicious and very easy to make!

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