SAVANNOLA!™

AKA, grain-free granola.

So, let me explain.  For many years I have enjoyed a breakfast of granola with plain yoghurt - any kind of granola, with traditional, goat, greek, or some other plainly sour yoghurt, sometimes even buttermilk.  The combination of sweet and tangy was sublime.

A couple years back a friend sent me a link to a TED talk given by a woman with a very debilitating and rapid case of multiple sclerosis, who was able to reverse her symptoms in a matter of months, first with over the counter vitamins and supplements, but then with what she called a savannah based diet.  Fresh vegetables and fruits, some organic or wild-caught meats and fish, but nothing made with flour or grains.  If you haven't seen it (I think I covered it in a blog post maybe a year ago?) you can click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

Generally my veggie diet was in line with this - except for the meat - but my morning bowl of granola seemed to stick out with its oats and other grains.  So I tried experimenting with various nuts and seeds, such as chia and pine nut, and different dried fruits like currants and goji berries.  Of course also the more traditional walnut, cashew, raisin, banana, blueberries, etc.  But nothing too bizarre or unavailable, or expensive for that matter.  The idea was to use the nuts and fruits more in season - at least in the time zone or geographical boundary that would be reflected in price/availability.

I've toyed with the idea of crowd-sourcing this concept, or patenting it, but have concluded, based on extensive research, that the potential niche market for such a relatively bland (bland sounding, that is, though it is far from bland, just not overly sweetened) and nutritious breakfast/snack food would probably be smaller than the vast readership of this blog.  In addition, the complexities of marketing something that is always changing, and specific to various bioregional seasons across the country, or world, seem pretty foreboding.  More importantly, I find that the process of making this part of what is so good about it.  You can't put that in a box.  And in the unlikely event that somebody else were to produce and market such a thing, bravo, I would be happy to buy it!

The 'recipe' has evolved to mixing the nuts and seeds with a little honey, hemp oil, and molasses then baking for about a half hour at 250/275 degrees, then blending with the dried fruits.  Let me know if you want the detailed recipe, though it may sound kind of vague with items like 'two cups of large nuts.'  This is to accommodate the fluctuations in what is available.  For this reason, each batch is unique - which I find one of its best features.  Because I use very little honey and molasses (mainly as a kind of binder) the result is not too sweet, which most granolas are.  In fact, you can taste the sweetness inherent in, say, a plain pecan.

If you have a difficult time imaging this, I recommend you try a 'nut meditation:'  find a quiet place to sit.  Pick up a whole pecan, shake and hear it rattle, notice the smooth slippery shell - then open it with a nutcracker, picking off the big pieces and small shards, feeling how hard this protective container is, maybe even biting it gently.  Feel the retrieved 'meat' between your fingers, tracing the lines and valleys on the surface with you fingernails, peering down as if taking a heavenly gaze at the grand canyon, or a scientific inquiry into the undulations - or sulci - on the cortex of a brain.  Bring it to your nose and smell its subtle redolence of earth, autumn, and life.  Notice the breath enter and exit your lungs.  Do feelings of hunger arise, even if just a hint?  When ready, place the nut on your tongue, close your mouth, and 'roll' it around.  Does the skin taste bitter?  What do the textures of the 'valleys' feel like to your tongue compared to how they appeared to your eyes?  Allow the feelings of anticipation and slight hunger consummate in a slow and deliberate chew, stopping occasionally to notice the changing textures and subtle flavors as they are released.  Are there olfactory sensations?  Notice as your trachea and esophagus deftly alternate - even when you don't pay attention - so that you do not choke while breathing and swallowing.  What miracle is this body?  Back to the nut, notice as it gets finer and smoother, then flows down your throat.  Follow with some water, and notice with the same caring interest all the similar bodily movements and functions involved in drinking.

Now, you are ready to explore life, all of it, with a reverence and awe for the divinity inherent in your very being...

A closer look at Savannola!™