Maple Cinnamon Buckwheat Granola
If you are buying granola I just want to tell you that you're being scammed out of your hard-earned money!! Granola is so easy to make AND much healthier AND way tastier when you make it yourself. It's super easy and quick as well.
I made this granola with buckwheat groats to give it some added nutritional benefits. First of all, buckwheat is a complete protein, similar to quinoa, in that it contains all eight essential amino acids. That is why it is a perfect addition to your breakfast bowl! It contains manganese which promotes a healthy metabolism, copper and magnesium which are both beneficial to your heart, and iron and phosphorus, essential for maintenance of body tissues and growth. Read more about the benefits of buckwheat here.
Spread your 'raw' granola mixture on a pan and bake in the oven at 350 C. Be sure to stir the granola halfway through the cooking time.
If you would like to save my recipes you can find me on Pinterest as The Blissful Blueberry. You can also find me on Instagram as @the.blissful.blueberry - look for the green icon or this picture!
This is one of the smoothie bowls I topped with this granola and it was BOMB! I've also had it with vegan coconut yogurt, regular yogurt, other smoothies, and on it's own as a snack. Making your own granola is great because you can control how much sugar and oil goes into it, and 1/3 of a cup of sugar split between 3 cups of granola is a pretty healthy ratio. Store your granola in mason jars or anything that can be sealed up, so it doesn't go stale, although you will probably eat it before that could happen!
*makes 3 cups
Ingredients:
2 cups oats
3/4 cup buckwheat groats
1 cup mixed nuts & seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans, sliced almonds)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 C and prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients (oats, buckwheat groats, mixed nuts and seeds) and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) in a large bowl.
Whisk together the coconut oil and maple syrup in a separate bowl until homogenous and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix well, until the dry ingredients are coated.
Spread the granola mixture between 2 baking sheets and bake at 350 C for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Midway through cooking (~12 minute mark) I stirred the granola with a spatula and swapped the position of the 2 baking sheets, so both sheets had a chance to be on the top rack to cook both sheets evenly.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cooled, use a spatula to mix it up a bit and then transfer to mason jars or whatever you are keeping it in. Enjoy with yogurt, on your favourite smoothie bowls, or just by itself!
