Gluten-Gree Maple Pecan Granola (dehydrator or oven)

Maple pecan granola

Ingredients:

1 cup dates, soaked
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups pecans, soaked for 2 hours or more
1 cup almonds, soaked for 2 hours or more
1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked for 2 hours or more
1 cup raw oat flakes (certified gluten-free, if necessary)
1/4 cup chopped dried pear or other fruit

:

Directions:

In a food processor, process the dates, apple, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon and salt until smooth. You may need to scrap down the sides of the mixing bowl a few times. It's okay if a few small chunks of dates still remain. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Add the pecans, almonds and pumpkin seeds to the food processor (no need to rinse out the bowl) and coarsely chop with a few quick pulses. You want this mixture to be chunky.
Add the nut mixture to the bowl with the date puree and mix to combine.
Fold in the oat flakes and dried fruit.
Spread the granola on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 6 hours, or until the granola is crunchy. Break the granola into pieces and store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

~Alternatively, this recipe can also be placed in the oven and cooked at 350 degrees turning every 20 minutes until lightly crispy. I like to add sulfite-free pieces of dried apricot and raw nuts after they come out of the oven.