Happy New Year friends! Not only have we just cruised through the Christmas and New Year’s season, but my husband and I also celebrated our wedding anniversary on the 30th. I LOVE the new year and the fresh perspective and potential that it brings. With so many milestones at the same time, it’s also nice to look back on the previous year and see how many changes have occurred (most of them unexpected). I’m a pretty reflective person, so I enjoy the look back and the hopefulness of a Clean Slate! (not to be confused with The Clean Plate’s Clean Slate… though, you could do that too!)
Among the many changes coming up is our relocation to San Diego.Yes! After many years, we are finally blessed to return to our FAVORITE city on Earth. I can’t wait to bring The Clean Plate to our new (old) home.
Before I get to far ahead of myself, it’s time for some reflection. This week I’ll be including some insights of the past along with new intentions in addition to the usual yummy recipes and grocery trips.
One of my new favorite habits is contributing more of my resources to small, local artisans and causes. The older I get (and as a small business owner), the more I see the need to support the little guy instead of tossing my money at target, whole foods, home depot, etc. Trust me, the BIG BIZ still gets plenty of my money, but in a effort to be more mindful in general, I have brought more awareness into my buying power. During my search for some handcrafted Christmas gifts, I stumbled up Eden’s Savory Sap. Eden was selling her wares at The Maker’s Market, a homemade, artisan gift faire at our local Ecology Center.
I tried a bit of this sap and instantly knew I wanted to use it for something fun. Its been over a month and I finally found a great use for it!
This granola is a lot lighter and fluffy(er?) than your typical paleo granola which is usually heavy with nuts and seeds. The flavor is delicate but warming and goes great over some yogurt, with chopped fruit as a cereal, or just a handful at a time!
This granola is still pretty heavy on the nuts (and thus, Omega 6 fats) so hold back on the heavy pours when making yourself breakfast. You wouldn’t eat an entire bowl of trail mix would you?!
Eden’s Sap Granola
1 1/2 c. shredded coconut
1 c. almond flour (you could also use cashew meal)
1 1/2 c. walnuts
1 1/2 c. pecans
1 c. pumpkin seeds
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. Eden’s Sap, Espresso Cardamom (or simple syrup)
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cardamom
2 tsp. sea salt
- Preheat oven to 325.
- In a food processor, pulse walnuts and pecans until chopped well (still has some chunky texture).
- In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well.
- Pour over the oil and sap (or just a regular simple syrup). Add a little more sap if the mixture seems dry. It should be coated and clumping together a little bit.
- Spread evenly on a parchment lined sheet
- Bake for 10 mins and stir granola so it bakes evenly. Continue to bake until golden. (keep your eye on it… nuts burn fast and without warning.)
- Let cool and store in glass jars until ready to eat!
- This granola tastes better after it cools.
The Clean Plate 