Paleolithic eating, or “Paleo” for short is all the rage these days. In a nutshell, the paleo diet consists of foods that only our most ancient ancestors would have eaten, like lean meats, fruits, nuts, and vegetables (this all prior to the advent of agrarian living). Conspicuously absent from a paleo diet are more “modern” foods such as dairy products, wheat, grains and legumes, and all forms of processed sugar. As someone who is pretty careful about my sugar intake and not particularly sensitive to wheat products (no gluten intolerance here) I’ve never given the paleo diet much of a thought, but if this recipe is any indication, then perhaps its worth a second look.
I ALWAYS have a homemade granola in my pantry (generally either this one or this one) which I toss with fresh fruit and plain greek yogurt for breakfast, and so I was curious what a “granola” might taste like without oats which is generally the main ingredient. I’m here to tell you that this recipe is outstanding! If you have gluten tolerance issues, then you absolutely should give this a try, but even if you don’t, give it a whirl as it makes a truly delicious granola, perfect swirled into yogurt, sprinkled on ice cream, or eaten by the handful when you’re feeling peckish.
I’ve already eaten my way through my first batch and am whipping up another tomorrow. Play with the spices and mix of nuts to suit your own taste, just be sure to keep the nut-liquid ratio stable so that you end up with well coated nuts that cook up nice and crunchy. The recipe as written calls for baking the nuts all on one sheet tray, but I find it easier to divide the recipe onto two trays when baking. It makes for easier periodic stirring throughout the baking process, and allows for more even baking.
Cheers – Steve