I remember back in High School I guessed the number of cinnamon hearts in a jar and won the whole 937 of them. Pete and I had just started dating (our first date was the week before Valentine’s Day:), so he was kind enough to share them with me. Since then, every time I see cinnamon hearts I get a little nostalgic for young love, and a little nauseous at the idea of ever eating them again.

I wanted to create something for my Valentine all these years later that combine a little of our history (I won’t even tell you how LOOONG ago that was) and his love language…granola. It’s like he has some sort of sensor every time I make it and even if I try to stash some away in the freezer for safe keeping, I’ll come back to find the container with only a few crumbs left. He always leaves behind the evidence thinking I will blame the kids, but I know the truth.

So yesterday Ruby and I made an entire batch just for him. That is what true love is folks…giving away the whole batch of granola.

I’d go to the ends of the earth for this guy. My one and only. I am so lucky to have him.

Happy Valentine’s Babe. ♡

Now, onto the reason you are here in the first place. This granola is legit. It is not too sweet, you could always add more honey but you know my feelings about the sweet stuff so we try to keep it at a minimum around here. It has a nice bit of heat from the spices and the hint of orange zest really brightens everything up. I got that last tip from my friend Brooke behind @B.B.Wellness. It’s a game changer.

This version is grain-free for all my paleo friends and if you skip the honey all together it’s Whole 30 approved. Luckily for all of us, there are no cinnamon hearts in this recipe. They were just the spicy inspiration. Feel free to play around with different nuts and seeds based on what you have in your kitchen, just try to steer clear of the roasted and salted variety.

I love it on green salads, with some cold almond milk and berries or crowning smoothies so thick you have to eat them with a spoon.

Pete likes it straight out of the palm of his hand any time of the day.

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Grain-Free Cinnamon Heart Granola

by Katie Hammill February-14-2018

his granola is legit. It is not too sweet, you could always add more honey but you know my feelings about the sweet stuff so we try to keep it at a minimum around here. It has a nice bit of heat from the spices and the hint of orange zest really brightens everything up.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Raw Sliced Almonds*
1 1/2 cups Raw Pumpkin & Sunflower Seeds (any mix of both)
1 cup Raw Cashews
1 cup Raw Pecans
1 tbsp Chia Seeds (optional)
1 1/2 cups Organic Unsweetened Large Flaked Coconut**
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 tbsp Honey or Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Liquid Egg Whites or the White from One Egg
1 tbsp Water
3 tsp (go for 1 tbsp if you love cinnamon) Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Sea Salt
zest of one Organic Orange****

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 and line two baking sheets with parchment 2. To a food processor add ½ cup of sliced almonds, the remaining whole nuts, 1 cup of coconut and 1 cup of the seeds. Pulse a couple of times just to break up. Don’t over pulse – you are not making nut butter.3. Pour the nuts and seeds from the food processor into a large bowl and mix with the remaining sliced almonds, seeds, chia and coconut.4. In a large measuring cup mix combine the wet ingredients with the spices. Whisk with a fork to froth the eggs a little.5. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix well to fully coat6. Divide the mixture on the two baking sheets and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes watching to ensure it doesn’t burn.7. Stir gently to not break up all the clusters and place back in the oven for 5 more minutes until it is golden and toasted.8. Let cool and enjoy. It freezes well as long as no one finds your stash.*The sliced almonds are essential. The slices mimic the oats in traditional granola.**Go with large flaked coconut not the fine shredded kind***I typically have a carton of egg whites in my fridge, so this is the easiest and saves me from wasting a yolk****When zesting citrus always go for Organic. Most of the harmful pesticides are found on the skin.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: One Batch