Leslie’s “Go-To” Granola Recipe
Making homemade granola is a great way to eliminate the things that aren’t good for your body.
Eating well can also reduce frustrating symptoms caused by anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other mental health disorders.
As an added bonus, making new food can serve as a fun and engaging activity for children. Have them choose their favorite nuts and dried foods or give them a try at toasting the granola. This recipe can even improve attentional issues for children, which is often caused by a lack of the right fuel combination for their uniquely creative brain.
Keep this recipe new and interesting for years to come by varying the types of nuts or dried food.
Note that there is a very small amount of gluten-free oatmeal added to this granola, but you can leave it out if you prefer. And make sure you purchase no preservative, no sugar-added dried fruits. A sweet taste will come from the dried fruit, so there is no need to add extra sweetener!
Leslie's "Go-To" Granola:
Ingredients
To Be Cooked On The Stovetop:
- ½ cup raw pecans, lightly chopped
- ½ cup raw almonds, chopped or sliced
- ½ cup raw walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup gluten free oatmeal
- ½ cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
Keep Raw:
- ½ cup organic raisins
- ½ cup chia seeds
- ½ cup of chopped dates
- ½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
- ½ cup of organic, grain sweetened chocolate chips (optional)
- ½ cup of dried candied ginger (dust off extra sugar) (optional)
Directions
- Combine the stove top cooked ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil over a low heat and pour over this mixture.
- Place a large frying pan on the stove over a very low heat. Place a layer of this mixture in the pan and stir constantly until it becomes a light brown. You are toasting this mixture, but do not overcook.
- Remove from heat and place in a large bowl and toast the next batch.
- Do this until all the mixture is toasted. Then add the rest of the raw ingredients to the mixture and let sit until cool.
- Store in glass jars with tight lids in a dark cabinet.
Cooking Tip: An alternative option to toasting on the stovetop is to bake a thin layer on a cookie sheet at 350º F. However, it can tend to toast unevenly and too much. Experiment to see what works best for you!
Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH, LMHC, ACS, FNTP, BCTMB, is a renowned integrative medicine clinician and educator specializing in the use of nutritional, herbal and culinary medicine for the treatment of trauma and emotional and chronic physical illness. She is known for her dynamism and humor providing clients effective alternatives to psychotropics. She completed her graduate education in the department of psychiatry and public health at Harvard Medical School and her life training in the jungle of Mexico where she lived and worked alongside local healers for over 25 years. She directed a naturopathic medicine and training clinic facilitating health, culinary and fitness retreats. She is licensed and certified in nutritional therapy, mental health counseling, and bodywork (Polarity and Cranial Sacral and medical massage therapies) and is an approved clinical supervisor. She introduced somatic therapies for complex trauma patients in outpatient psychiatry at Harvard Medical school in 1985 and served Acupuncture and faculty at National College of Naturopathic Medicine.
She is the author of the seminal book on the body and complex trauma: Rhythms of Recovery: Integrative Medicine for PTSD and Complex Trauma, 2nd Edition (Routledge, 2012, 2023); The Brainbow Blueprint: A Clinical Guide to Integrative Medicine and Nutrition for Mental Well Being (PESI, 2023), Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health (W.W. Norton, 2016), Eat Right Feel Right: Over 80 Recipes and Tips to Improve Mood, Sleep, Attention & Focus (PESI, 2017); Multicultural Counseling Workbook: Exercises, Worksheets & Games to Build Rapport with Diverse Clients (PESI, 2015); The Good Mood Kitchen (W.W. Norton, 2017); and Natural Woman: Herbal Remedies for Radiant Health at Every Age and Stage of Life (Shambhala, 2019). She was a founder of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, a Fullbright scholar in Herbal Medicine and an NIH-funded scientist, in mind/body medicine. She is an approved clinical supervisor and is the research director at the Center for World Indigenous Studies where she designs culinary and herbal medicine programs with tribal communities engaged in developing integrative medicine programs.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Leslie Korn maintains a private practice. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. Dr. Korn receives royalties as a published author. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Leslie Korn is a member of the Nutritional Therapy Association and Integrative Medicine for the Underserved.
