Gluten Free & Tree Nut Free Granola

Another Paleo Challenge begins and I bring you a totally not Paleo recipe. As some of you know, I actually won the last Paleo Challenge at CrossFit Vortex - largely to my surprise. I had good losses and gains physically, but where I really gained was in my physical conditioning. I performed the same WOD with a whopping 117% improvement. Yes, simply put I killed it. Yesterday marked the first day of No Pain Paleo and CrossFit Vortex's Paleo Challenge.

My husband and I live in a household of foods we do not and cannot eat. Which is as follows:
- pork (choice, religious reasons)
- seafood (choice, religious reasons)
- tree nuts (husband - allergy)
- gluten products (me - intolerant)

Also understanding that I have to be respectful of my husband's choice not to participate in the Paleo challenge, I also need to prepare foods that he can eat too. Everytime we go to the grocery store, my husband tries hard to find a granola or granola bar that doesn't have any tree nut (almond, cashew, pecan, walnut etc) in it. Simply put, it doesn't exist. See, my husband's allergy only began in his late teens - so up until that point he enjoyed anything and everything that had tree nuts in it. Until one day he had a reaction and that was it. So, he certainly misses granola and many treats that have tree nuts in it.

Therefore I bring you, Tree Nut Free Granola!

Gluten Free & Tree Nut Free Granola

Ingredients:
- 3 cups rolled oats (certified gluten free)
- 1 1/4 cup peanuts
- 1/2 cup flaxseeds
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 goji berries
- splash of vanilla
- 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1/4 cup honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 200F
1. In a large bowl, add oats, peanuts, flaxseed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seeds and coconut palm sugar. Mix well.
2. Add in honey and vanilla. Mix that in well.
3. On two large baking trays, put foil down and spread granola mixture thinly on the tray.
4. Bake for roughly 50-60 minutes, check every now and then to look at the colour of the granola.
5. Remove from oven, let stand for 10 minutes.
6. Add in raisins and goji berries, mix and store granola away in mason jars or tupperware.

You can enjoy the granola on it's own or in cereal, salad, anything I suppose - be creative!