Raw Chocolate Berry Love Granola

My boyfriend Eric has been asking me about how to make raw granola a lot lately.  I showed him a few of my recipes, but then I decided that we should just make granola together since I was about to run out of mine.  After all, what could be more romantic than cooking together.  Actually, this is what we did on Superbowl Sunday, since I really could have cared less about the game and he didn't mind. 

We had been discussing what type of granola to make and tossed a few ideas around, but he seemed to keep going back to adding berries to it.  At first, I was unsure about the idea as I usually do not add the fruit to my granola until after it is already dried so it would have to be dried fruit, but then I thought he might have a great idea!  A rose hued granola!  It would be beautiful and taste wonderful.  

Since he is also a chocoholic, I decided that we should add chocolate as well in the form of cacao nibs and powder.  Chocolate and berries are a match made in heaven after all.  I was excited about this one, and it was hard to wait until the next day to taste it...as amazing as it was making my whole house smell.  The aroma of dark chocolate and berries was what I woke up to the next morning.  

It was delicious!  A little decadent with the chocolate, sweet and tart with the berries and it had a lovely crunch with the nuts and buckwheat.  Of course Eric wanted to drizzle some raw chocolate on his to make it even more decadent but I thought it was just right!  I would recommend making this for Valentine's day and sharing it for breakfast with your loved ones!

Raw Chocolate Berry Love Granola
Makes about 8 cups

2 cups raw buckwheat
1 1/2 cups dried large coconut flakes
1 cups raw pecans, soaked for 6 hours and drained
1 cups raw almonds, soaked for 6 hours and drained
1/3 cup raw coconut nectar, agave nectar or raw honey (or more if you prefer sweeter)
2 Tbsp raw almond butter
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup filtered water
1 Tbsp raw coconut oil, liquified
12 oz fresh or frozen raspberries
12 oz fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
1 cup cacao nibs

Soak buckwheat for 30 minutes, rinse very well (as it has a slimy coating that needs to be removed) and drain. Place in a large jar and set in a well lit area (natural light, but not in direct sunlight). Let sit for a couple days, or until little sprouts begin to emerge from the buckwheat, rinsing 2 times a day. Once sprouted, drain well, and place in a large bowl, along with the coconut, pecans and almonds. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut nectar (or honey), almond butter, cacao powder, sea salt, vanilla, water, and coconut oil. Pour the mixture over the granola, and mix well with your hands. Add the berries  and cacao nibs and carefully mix in until blended.  Spread out on 2 dehydrator sheets lined with teflex, and dry for about 12 hours or until crispy. Can be stored in an airtight container for a few weeks at room temperature.