When my hormones are having a dance party during that time of the month...
I. Want. Chocolate. (and like...everything in my pantry)
We all go through cravings, and the best thing to do during that time is to keep your hands busy and come up with a healthy way to satisfy them! Every month I try to come up with some sort of "satisfy my cravings" type of snack to keep the creativity alive in the kitchen and bring joy to my taste-buds. This time I combined everyone's favorite combo: peanut butter and chocolate.
I personally believe granola is seriously underrated. There are SO many things you can do with granola, like:
-Throw it on top of a smoothie bowl
-Use like a cereal with some dairy-free milk
-Add some to your chia pudding
-Top some plant-based yogurt with it
-Make granola bars!
-Mix it in with some oatmeal
-Use it to bake with!
-Eat it alone, as an amazing, delicious snack
Okay, so I've been on a granola kick but for good reason! When made with healthy ingredients and superfoods, granola can be a power snack!
THIS granola contains antioxidant and magnesium-rich raw cacao powder, fiber-rich flax seed, hemp seeds full of protein and healthy fats, and my personal favorite, pumpkin seeds, which are full of iron, zinc, magnesium, and disease-fighting antioxidants. In conclusion, this granola (in my mind) is a super...food ;-).
Enjoy!
YIELDS
About 2.5 Cups
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon whole flax seed
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) your favorite peanut butter!
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- coconut oil to grease pan
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a small pot, combine peanut butter, maple syrup, and applesauce. Heat on lowest flame and mix together. BE AWARE--if left on high heat it will burn (and smell awful...trust me). Turn off heat once everything is combined thoroughly.
3. Add raw cacao and cocoa to peanut butter mix and stir well.
4. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin seeds, flax, hemp, and rolled oats.
5. Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture into the oat mixture and combine really well. I personally like using my bare hands to massage the mixtures together.
6. Grease a 8x8 pan (I haven't used another size although anything around this size would probably do fine) with coconut oil and pour the granola in the pan, making sure the whole pan is covered and pressed down evenly.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, depending on how crunchy you like your granola.
8 Once baked, let cool for at least 20 minutes (although trust me, nibbling on warm granola is blissful). Once cool, either cut into little squares or crumble! Store at room temperature in airtight container for up to 2-3 weeks.
2. In a small pot, combine peanut butter, maple syrup, and applesauce. Heat on lowest flame and mix together. BE AWARE--if left on high heat it will burn (and smell awful...trust me). Turn off heat once everything is combined thoroughly.
3. Add raw cacao and cocoa to peanut butter mix and stir well.
4. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin seeds, flax, hemp, and rolled oats.
5. Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture into the oat mixture and combine really well. I personally like using my bare hands to massage the mixtures together.
6. Grease a 8x8 pan (I haven't used another size although anything around this size would probably do fine) with coconut oil and pour the granola in the pan, making sure the whole pan is covered and pressed down evenly.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, depending on how crunchy you like your granola.
8 Once baked, let cool for at least 20 minutes (although trust me, nibbling on warm granola is blissful). Once cool, either cut into little squares or crumble! Store at room temperature in airtight container for up to 2-3 weeks.
Also by Alexa: Raw Vegan Probiotic Turmeric Hummus
Related: Low-Sugar Granola Bars
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Photos: Alexa Pizzarello
