Berry Almond Kale Granola

Made primarily of greens and without any oil or added sugar, this kale granola is the healthiest granola I’ve ever made. And it’s GOOD!

So kale granola is a thing….

Want to know how I found out about it? Through TJ Maxx! Well, actually Home Goods (which is owned by TJ Maxx). Recently, I was shopping for candles at Home Goods and I went over to peruse the food section because they seem to carry a ton of high quality items (none of which are past expiration or seem bad) like olive oil, pure vanilla, teas, coffees, jams, honey, etc. They also have organic snacky items — veggie chips, trail mix and the like. While looking around I happened upon something called New York Naturals Greenola with the tagline “Greens, not Grains!” Oh course this caught my eye and before I knew it I was walking out of Home Goods with a new candle and a package of Cranberry Nut Crunch kale granola.

The kale is dehydrated so it’s super crunchy (like kale chips) and when combined with the dates, coconut, almonds and cranberries, it tastes very similar to granola. Don’t let it fool you though, it’s just as addictive as regular granola. I’m pretty sure I devoured the whole container in less than 24 hours.

I shouldn’t be surprised, things like this happen with me and granola/snacky type foods. Anyhow, that’s a story for another day. Naturally, as soon as my little container was polished off, I started brainstorming how to create my own version of kale granola at home.

Fast forward two weeks: I’ve successfully made three batches of kale granola. I loved the first batch so much, I ate it all before getting a chance to a take photos it for the blog. Oops.

The second two batches are gone now too, but thankfully I did snap some pictures before eating them.

Made primarily of greens and without any oil or added sugar, it’s probably the healthiest granola I’ve ever made. And it’s GOOD! I’ve been using it for everything I would use normal granola for…

Snacking on it by the handful (a little too much), as a topping for oatmeal, yogurt parfaits, and even eating it with almond milk as cereal.

Healthy cereal! And it’s awesome, because the kale granola doesn’t really get soggy — it’s super crunchy and tastes ridiculously similar to grain-based cereal. The only difference is the color. If you can get over the fact that you’re eating green cereal, you’re golden.

Isaac was a little skeptical at first, but he tried it and said it tastes like Honey Bunches of Oats. 🙂

I have an Excalibur dehydrator for making kale chips and other raw goodies, so I used it for making this recipe. But then I remembered how much I hate when I find recipes that call for a kitchen appliance that I don’t own so I decided to figure out the oven cooking process for those that might not have a fancy schmancy dehydrator (or want to wait 24 hours for their granola to be done). Both options are listed in the recipe.

So there you have it, my new favorite way to eat kale! Enjoy and have a Happy Friday.