chocolaaate?!?! for breakfast!?!?!!!

Once upon a time, there was a girl who was in the middle of finals week, and although she was too tired sleep-deprived to prepare healthy meals and all she really wanted to was shovel chocolate bars down throat, she did all she could to resist. This girl was me just a few weeks ago. Some people crave sweets under stress other crave carbs. I crave raw chocolate granola. I discovered this brand (pictured) at a local health food store and it's pretty much what I subsisted off of for a few days. However, at $10 a bag, I knew this could not become a habit (not just for monetary, but nutritional reasons too!!) I knew the ingredients were all things I had at home, and with a little tweaking, I was able to recreate this amazing treat in a study break's worth of time. Totally worth the effort as it saved me money and gave me tons of energy to power through those all-nighters.

WARNING: This stuff is highly addictive and nutritious!

Dry Ingredients:

1c raw buckwheat groats, soaked over night

1/2 raw sunflower seeds, soaked 3-4 hours

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1 Tbsp chia seed

3 heaping Tbsp coconut flakes, plus more for topping

1/2 raisins or any other dried fruits

Superfood "Batter" Ingredients:

1 packet of frozen acai berry

1/2 Tabsp spiralina (or less to taste, I'm a spiraling groupy so I like lots!)

1/4c raw cacao powder (I used one that contains macs too, it's my favorite brand)

dash of cinnamon

stevia to taste

Begin by mixing all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Blend the "batter ingredients" together in a blender and then pour over the dry. Stir until evenly coated.

Spread the mixture onto a dehydrator tray lined with parchment paper. I spread it in an even layer, not too thin, this way the mix chunks together. Mmmm chunks!

At this point you can add additional toppings. I choice more coconut flakes for sweetness, bee pollen for added energy and cacao nibs for more chocolaty crunch!

Optional additions:

Cacao nibs

Bee pollen

Additional nuts or seeds

Mulberries

Goji berries

Let everything dehydrate overnight, until hardened. Break the large pieces into smaller chunks and store in an airtight jar (if it even lasts that long!) Or, be like me and transfer it straight into a bowl and top will almond milk.

Munch.

This recipe has been submitted to Healthy Vegan Friday on Carrie on Vegan