Orange Vanilla Spice Granola

This is my favorite granola! I eat it everyday (after I eat my overnight oats)! Nibble, nibble, nibble. It nourishes the place for the sweet taste in my diet so that I don't feel cravings or overwhelmed by the presence of desserts and candy!

Kitchen Tools:

1 large mixing bowl

2 large rimmed baking sheets

Parchment Paper

Yield | 22 servings, 1/2 cup each

* most store-bought granolas have around 10g of sugars in a 1/4 cup serving. This recipe keeps it down to 7 g per 1/2 cup! You get twice as much granola goodness with less added sugars; keep in mind as well that some of those sugars are coming from fresh squeezed orange juice with the pulp. AND one serving provides 11 g of plant based protein! Win-Win-Win!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups Organic Extra Thick Rolled Oats

• 1 cup Pumpkin Seeds

• 2 cups Pecans, chopped

• 2 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (4 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp Nutmeg, 1/2 tsp Cardamom, 1/2 tsp Allspice, pinch of Ground Clove)

• Zest of 2 Oranges

• 1 tsp Sea or Pink Salt

• 8 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or Coconut Oil)

• 1/3 cup Orange Juice, hand squeezed with any pulp

• 3/4 cup Dark Maple Syrup

• 1-3 tbsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

Mix all of the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl. Add the spices and nuts, mix and massage. Add the "wet" ingredients (the orange juice, maple syrup and vanilla), mix and massage. Add the oil, mix and massage :)

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide and spread 1/2 the granola mix between the two trays.

Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes, switch the tracks on the racks, bake for another 30 minutes at 300°F. Turn heat all the way down to dehydrate, and leave the granola for another 30 minutes until crunchy :) Sometimes I turn the heat off after awhile and leave the granola in the warm oven all night. Let it cool to fully "crunchify" before transferring to storage container.

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