Summer is here and so is the season for smoothies and smoothie bowls, cold fruits salads bowls with yogurt and there is nothing better than adding a bit of home-made crunchy granola on the top for an extra flavour and texture. This is one of my healthiest and most nourishing granola recipes. You can sprout your buckwheat or just soak if you are short of time Sprouting adds extra enzymes and nutrients to this recipe. It can be enjoyed with your choice of nut milk, eaten dry as a snack (my favourite), crumbled over a bowl of coconut yogurt, or used as a topping on your plant-powered smoothie. Also, this is an easy-to-make recipe, that uses zero processed sugar, it’s gluten-free and of course 100% plant-based.

Ingredients:

Dry

• 1 cup raw buckwheat soaked and sprouted (or just soaked)
• Handful of organic gluten free oats
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts chopped (or any nuts your choice)
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds 
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds 
• 1/4 cup raisins rinsed.
• 1/4 cup goji berries rinsed.
• 1 generous tsp cinnamon
• Optional (handful of shaded coconut)

Wet

• 1 cup of apple cored and chopped.
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup coconut nectar or pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup dates pitted.

Instructions:

Soaking & Sprouting

In a large glass jar mix 2-3 cups of purified water with 1 cup buckwheat. The buckwheat seeds absorb a lot of water while soaking. Give the seeds a quick stir to ensure that water contact is made by all seeds. Soak overnight or for uptown 24 hours. When ready to drain and rinse the soak water. The soaking water will be starchy and a bit cloudy, so be sure to rinse for about a minute and skim off any non-seeds that are floating on the water. Sometimes foreign “objects” can get
mixed into the seeds.

Time to sprout. You can leave the seeds in the mesh strainer, or use a special sprouting tray. I prefer keeping it in the stainer - less clean up. I set the strainer on top of a kitchen towel or inside of a large bowl to catch any of the draining water. Set your drained buckwheat out of direct sunlight and at room temperature. This is where your sprouts will do their growing.
Twice a day rinse and drain the buckwheat. A good time would be right away in the morning, and then again later in the day, before retiring for the night. So approximately, every 12 hours.

The sprouting time can vary anywhere between 24-48 hours. Each time you rinse check on your sprouts. I stop the sprouting process when small tails form, otherwise they can get too bitter and toxins will start to release. Ok, now we are ready to make granola.

 

Dehydrate

In a large bowl combine; sprouted buckwheat, oats, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, goji berries, and cinnamon. With your hands, mix well to ensure everything gets well combined. In a high-speed blender or food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, combine the apples (keep the skin on or take off) lemon juice, raw coconut nectar and pitted dates. Process until it creates a smooth texture. If using organic apples, I keep the skin on for added nutrients. Otherwise, remove the skins. You can use any liquid sweetener in place of the raw coconut nectar. Add the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently fold with your hands or spatula until everything is evenly coated. Drop clusters of the granola onto the teflex sheet that comes with the dehydrator and dry at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, then reduce to 110 degrees (F) for 12-18 hours or until dry. The dry time will vary depending on the climate, humidity, model of the dehydrator, and how crunchy you prefer it. Cool to room temperature and store in an airtight glass container. You can also extend the shelf life by freezing it.

 

Bake

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl combine; sprouted buckwheat, oats, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon. With your hands, mix well to ensure everything gets well combined. In a high-speed blender or food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, combine the apples (keep the skin on or take off) lemon juice, raw coconut nectar and pitted dates. Process until it creates a smooth texture. If using organic apples, I keep the skin on for added nutrients.
Otherwise, remove the skins. You can use any liquid sweetener in place of the raw coconut nectar. Spread the mixture evenly onto a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. Bake for 50-56 minutes, stirring the mixture every 20 minutes. Once the granola is out, mix in raisins and goji berries. Cool to room temperature and store in an airtight glass container.
Tip: you can mix in any of your favourite dry fruits and add any raw nuts in the last stage too.