I’m sure you have been cooking with pumpkin during the last weeks, and you will keep at it for a few more weeks too. Do not throw away those pumpkin seeds!! Save them for this delicious granola recipe. All you have to do is clean them, dry them and add them to the mixture. I really enjoy this recipe because of the special crunch that the millet adds, and because adding lots of dried fruits allows me to cut on added sweeteners and oils without compromising taste. Although the extra fruit adds natural sugars, it also packs in healthy fiber, minerals and vitamins lacking from other sweeteners. I’ve found a half cup of millet works best for this recipe: I did try a full cup once, but felt that it was a bit too crunchy.
Acorn squash seeds 
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup millet
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup pumpkin seeds or pepitas
1 cup cashews
¾ cup shredded coconut
1 Tbsp. raw sugar
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 cups dried fruit (raisins, diced figs, dates, cranberries, etc.)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 280 F. Combine all ingredients except the dried fruit in a large bowl and mix well. Place mixture in a sheet pan and cook for 60 min, stirring every 20 min. Remove from oven, let it cool and mix in a large bowl with the dried fruit until uniformly distributed. Store in an air tight container.
You can substitute the millet for quinoa, or use half and half. If you add red quinoa, the granola will look so cool! Another twist to this recipe is to add two tablespoon of either carob powder or unsweetened cocoa powder. It tastes great! I also added spices and it gives the granola a great new taste. I grounded a stick of cinnamon, a cardamom pod and a couple of cloves and added it to the toasted granola.
Check out the Recipes page for more healthy snacks, drinks, meals, and desserts!
GS Training 