Ready Health Go: APPLE, CINNAMON, AND MAPLE GRANOLA~ RAW FOOD STYLE

This is not cereal that you can make and enjoy on the same day. The nuts need to be pre-soaked in order to release the enzyme blockers, and the cereal needs to be dehydrated for 24 hours. But once done, you will have your week's worth of cereal that is super healthy and yummy! The preparation itself does not take a long time, so don't be put off by the wait period. It's well worth it.

I think dehydrated granola cereal taste way better than the oven roasted varieties. It's also much healthier because there is no loss of nutrients given that the cereal's ingredients are all still raw. This cereal goes amazingly well with my homemade vanilla cashew milk. (Click: How to make homemade vanilla cashew milk for the recipe), and fresh fruits on top. Definitely a great way to start the day!

These are not super sweet. I like to add fruits on top of my cereal to add sweetness, but if you have a sweet tooth, you can add up to 1/4 cup more of the maple syrup (that should do the trick).

APPLE, CINNAMON, AND MAPLE GRANOLA~ RAW FOOD STYLE

Ingredients:

2 cups of raw almonds
1 cup of raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of gluten free steel cut oatmeal
1/4 cup of chia seeds
2 cups of grated apples (skin on, no core)
1/4 cup of hemp seeds
1/4 to 1/2 cup of maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like (I used 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla essence
2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Preparation:

Soak the almonds, sunflower seeds, oats, and chia seeds in 6 cups of water for 6 hours to overnight
Drain the soaked nuts by placing the mixture into a strainer, and let it drain for a good 5-10 minutes, moving the nuts and seeds around from time to time. Once the water stops leaking, it is ready. It will still look soggy, but that is because the chia seeds have become gelatinous.
Place the drained nuts and seeds mixture in a food processor, and process for a short time. You just want to mostly break up the large pieces of nuts and mix everything together. It should have a chunky consistency.
Place the mixture in a bowl along with all the other ingredients, and mix well
Spread the mixture on a texflex sheet, or on a piece of parchment paper, on top of your dehydrator trays, spreading it sparingly, and leaving some space between pieces so that it looks crumbly. The chia seeds will get everything to hold together. Do not make it too thick as it will take too long to dehydrate. You will need to use a few trays of your dehydrator.
Dehydrate at 115 F for 24 hours, turning and breaking the mixture apart after 12-15 hours.
The granola cereal should be fully dried after 24 hours. If they aren't, dehydrate longer (this would be due to spreading the mixture too thick)
Store in large mason jars, do not refrigerate.