Sweet Tooth: Coconut Vanilla Crunch Granola

Happy Friday everyone! Hope your week has been fantabulous! What are your plans for the weekend? 
It's supposed to rain in my neck of the woods, so I'll be playing in the kitchie with a friend. I'll take her through raw basic recipes like almond milk, pate/nori rolls, apple pie, banana ice cream, zucchini pasta with sun dried tomato marinara... and then we'll enjoy a feast!

On another note Philip and I have a winner (through a random number generator online) for our giveaway. Congratulations to Christine, who's favourite essential oil is eucalyptus. Your goodies are on their way soon, girl! 

This is my second Sweet Tooth post, and I must say, it's been fun to browse through my old posts in search of dessert recipes. It's a trip down memory lane, for sure! I just went back to my very first post (which didn't even include a pichy, if you can imagine) to discover that I've had my blog for 3 years and 3 months. 

Today's dessert menu features: Coconut Vanilla Crunch Granola, a recipe I came up with just before Christmas. It's photo popped up in a post I did on raw snacks: various flavored nuts, kale chips, and granola.  My "oldie" recipe is a Triple Berry Cake  (from a post in June, 2008), which I created in honor of Raw Freedom Community's birthday. A light, creamy berry cake on a nut crust - perfect for the warmer months. It can be made with your choice of berries. 

Coconut Vanilla Crunch Granola

Don't let this simple looking recipe deceive you - this granola is amazingly crunchy and sweet. I love to eat it with hemp milk and blueberries - but my favourite is eating it by the handful as a snack.  

Ingredients:

2 cups soaked almonds

3 cups sprouted buckwheat

2 1/2 cups shredded coconut

1 cup soaked sunflower seeds

3/4 cup coconut nectar or maple syrup

3 Tablespoons vanilla water or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon himalayan salt

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. 

2. Spread on teflex sheets. Dehydrate at 135F for 1 hour. 

3. Lower the temperature to 115 and continue to dehydrate for 15-20 hours, or until dry. 

Triple Berry Cake

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/2 cups pecans or walnuts

1 cup pitted, packed medjool dates, chopped

Filling:

1 1/4 cup almond milk

1 1/2 cups cashews

1/3 cup agave

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup melted cacao butter

1 tablespoon lecithin

2 cups mixed berries, set aside

(raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, grind the nuts and dates together into a slightly sticky dough. Add 1 -2 tsp water if needed. 

2. Press into the bottom of a 6” springform pan, or into a pie plate.

3. Blend the first four ingredients until completely smooth. Add the cacao butter and lecithin. Continue blending until incorporated. Transfer 1 cup of this mixture into a bowl. 

4. Add the berries to the remaining cream in the blender and pulse the berries until they start to break down, keeping some texture. Transfer the berry mixture into a bowl.

5. Pour half of one cream onto the crust. Pour the other half on top. Continue, pouring the first cream on top, followed by the second.

6. Now, with a knife, swirl the two creams together into a pretty pattern.

7. Chill the cake for a few hours, or until firm.

Do you have any dessert requests for Sweet Tooth??

Let me know! ;)

Stay tuned for big news to be announced on Sunday! Get ready for a challenge that's never been done before.... 

Also, my newsletter is now available! I'll be sending out exclusive recipes, tips, ideas, and events/classes in your area. Sign up in the cupcake box at the top right hand corner of my site, or click here. 

(*Cupcake graphic by my best friend, Lauren Toppozini)