Almond Pulp Granola with Walnuts and Raisins

I have been making my own almond milk for a while now, and I highly recommend investing in a nut milk bag, as it makes the process so much easier!

I have a healthy amount of leftover almond pulp in the freezer, and a few days ago I decided to try dehydrating the pulp into a dried, coarse meal...which according to the almond pulpists, can then be ground into a flour in the blender...but I didn't get that far.

The coarse texture of the dried meal reminded me of granola - a food I haven't eaten in a long time, since I haven't been eating oats for several years, and have recently become intolerant of buckwheat, my usual oat stand-in. However, I think this cereal appeals to more than those of us with restricted diets...it's just plain good!

The granola could be made raw by drying in the dehydrator, but I wanted to recreate that toasty flavour I have been missing from my granola days, so I baked this in the oven. Either way, it's packed with extremely healthy ingredients and should give you quite a good start to your day, enjoyed with your fresh almond milk!

You could omit the oil, I think, for a lighter version of this recipe, but it does give the recipe an extra dimension.

Almond Pulp Granola with Walnuts and Raisins
3 cups dehydrated almond pulp (you could also dry it out in a very low oven with the door propped open)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
3 tbsp walnut oil (or other nut oil, or sunflower oil)
4 tbsp agave syrup
pinch of salt
1 cup of golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine everything but the raisins in a large bowl, and adjust salt to taste. Spread onto a cookie sheet in an even layer, and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, till toasty.

Store in a large glass jar in the fridge (nuts and seeds have volatile oils which can go rancid if stored at room temperature). Keeps for as long as you can keep from eating it all!

This recipe is a great starting place to build your own flavours by adding spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, other dried fruits, like figs, apricots, dates, and dried apples, and other seeds and nuts - pumpkin seeds, chopped almonds or brazil nuts...you could also substitute maple syrup for the agave.

Works well as a topping for apple crisp too!