Paleo in PDX

I’ve still been on a kick of making homemade granola and decided it was time for a fall-inspired variety. After all, tis the season for pumpkin spice, right? It makes the house smell so cozy and warm too. It’s actually the first time I’ve used pumpkin seeds in homemade granola and I must say, I really like it. The addition of the almond butter adds a nice coating on the coconut flakes, especially if you use a grittier, freshly ground almond butter, but any kind will work. In this case, I used freshly ground almond butter from the store.

Meanwhile, I still plan on filling you all in on my Jamaica experience sometime soon. I’ve been a little distracted though because last Thursday, we got a new 5-month old kitten! Jesse and I both felt ready after the loss of Mila and found a kitten on Craigslist that urgently needed a new home. Long story short, she was in a home going through a domestic violence divorce. We stepped in and rescued her, and named her Frankie. Here’s a picture of our sweet girl:

Ingredients:

• 6-7 cups unsweetened coconut flakes 
• 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas) 
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1-2 Tbsp raw honey
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I like this brand)
• 4 Tbsp unsweetened almond butter (melt slightly if it’s really stiff)
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Dash of sea salt
• 3/4 cup unsweetened dried currants

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Pour the coconut chips and pumpkin seeds on a large baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl, gently whisk together the coconut oil, vanilla, raw honey, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Once blended, whisk in the almond butter until smooth.
4. Pour coconut oil mixture over the coconut flakes and pumpkin seeds, stirring well to coat. Spread out evenly on the baking pan and then place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the granola after the 15 minutes and stir. Place back in oven for 10-15 more minutes or until all the granola is golden brown.
6. Let cool almost completely and then stir in the currants.