Grate pears with a box grater or use grater attachment on a food processor. Squeeze the extra liquid from the pears using a cheesecloth or strainer. Add to a medium sized bowl.
Peel and grate the parsnips and combine with the pears.
Add in coconut chips, plantain chips, and chopped dates (or raisins) and mix.
In a small bowl, combine melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, arrowroot starch, and salt. Mix well then add to parsnip/pear mixture. Stir the mixture until everything is well coated with the sauce.
Divide mixture evenly between 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets and press into very thin layers. Thin layers are very important to ensure the mixture dries out and gets crispy.
Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes checking it every 5-10 minutes to flip the granola mixture over, break it into pieces, and press down again with the back of the spatula. Watch closely to prevent burning. The mixture does not need to be completely dry to be done. In fact by the time it seems dry, it's burnt. Remove the granola from the oven before this happens. *If the mixture seems to be browning too quickly, lower the oven temp or even turn the oven off for a few minutes before taking it out.
When the mixture has become slightly browned/toasted, remove it from the oven and allow to cool.
Notes
Tips
Use parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Be patient– stick with the baking temp of 325 degrees F. It can be tempting to bump the temp up to speed things along but don’t do it. Roasting the granola slowly will produce the nice even crunch you’re going for.
Take the granola out of the oven before it looks dry– this is hard to do because it seems like it’s not finished, but take it out and it will finish drying as it cools.
Store in an airtight container at room temp or in the fridge. It will keep fresh for at least a week.