Paleo granola is a very simple recipe that can be customized to fit your own tastes. It makes a great travel snack in a small bag or as a cereal alternative with almond and/or coconut milk and some fresh fruit on top. If you are used to spending big bucks at the grocery store on Paleo granola, this recipe will save you a lot of $$.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of pecans

1 1/2 cups of walnuts

1/4 cup of pine nuts

1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup of unsalted cashews

2 tbsp of maple syrup

2 tsp of coconut oil

1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 tsp of salt

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/3 cup of raisins

Directions:

Lightly pulse the pecans in a processor until the nuts are medium to small bite-sized. Place pecans in a large mixing bowl. Be careful not to over process the nuts, turning them into a fine dust.

Repeat the same process for the walnuts, adding them into the mixing bowl.

Now add the cashews, pine nuts, and pumpkin seeds into the processor and lightly pulse/chop them. You are looking for the pieces to chop just a little, being careful not to turn them into dust. Once chopped add them to the mixing bowl.

Add the raisins to the nut mixture in the mixing bowl

Slowly heat the coconut oil and maple syrup until the coconut oil has melted completely. If using a microwave this should not take long at all, so remember to just use 10-15 seconds at a time to heat. Stir the syrup mixture with a spoon and make sure it is not too hot.

Add the vanilla extract to the syrup and stir again to mix the flavors.

Pour the syrup over the nut mixture and toss by hand to evenly coat the entire nut mixture with the syrup.

Now add the dry spices to the nut mixture and once again mix thoroughly to ensure an even coating throughout. Pay special attention to pulling from the bottom of the mixing bowl and along the sides.

Heat your oven to 200.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture out evenly. Spread the mixture out as thin as possible. If there are empty gaps on the parchment paper, this is perfectly OK.

Allow between 45 minutes to 1 hour to slowly heat in the oven, or until done to your liking. The mixture should be lightly crunchy when you bite, not soft.

Recipe yields about 10 1/2 cup servings.