Author Notes: I’ve always been a huge fan of that nut and fruity oat mix and have been known to eat through a big jar of homemade granola in just a few days — but sometimes I find it a bit hard to digest.
Buckwheat groats are the perfect choice to create a great variation on traditional granola — it’s lighter and easier to digest, and has been a life-saving breakfast this winter. This recipe is highly adaptable to your tastes, and makes a simple meal to start the day that is deeply satisfying and nourishing.
Feel free to experiment with this recipe by using a different nut and/or seed, different spices, or using coconut oil instead of olive oil. You can also try swapping the banana for the same amount of purèed pumpkin, sweet potato, or your favorite nut or seed butter. —sil entre jardins
Food52 Review: WHO: Sil entre jardins is a breakfast maven from Switzerland.
WHAT: A granola that puts your stand-by breakfast cereal to shame.
HOW: Just mix and bake — it’s that simple.
WHY WE LOVE IT: A few things set this granola apart: First, it uses groats instead of oats — a welcome, wholesome change-up from our everyday granola. And second, we love the technique of mashing a banana into the groats mixture before baking; it makes everything faintly sweet, and helps form the precious clumps. —The Editors
Makes: about 4 cups
Ingredients
-
2
cups raw buckwheat groats
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1 1/2
cups mixed seeds and nuts (I use pumpkin seeds and almonds)
-
1
cup coconut flakes
-
1
teaspoon ground cinnamon
-
1
teaspoon ground ginger
-
1
ripe banana
-
2
tablespoons olive oil (or coconut oil or almond butter)
-
2
tablespoons maple syrup
Directions
- Preheat oven to 170° C or 350° F.
- In a bowl, stir the buckwheat groats together with seeds, nuts, coconut, and spices.
- In a separate small bowl, smash the banana with a fork and add to the groats mixture, along with olive oil and maple syrup. Stir until everything is nicely coated. Spread across a baking sheet (lining it makes for easier clean-up) and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until fragrant and golden. Let cool before storing in a glass container.
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Photo by James Ransom
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This is about to be breakfast.
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Throw your groats in a bowl. Marvel at the slant rhyme in that step.
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Add in the nuts and spices.
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And stir to combine.
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Don't forget the coconut!
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Here's the genius part: mash a banana in a separate bowl.
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Then add it to the mix — this will help to sweeten and bind the granola.
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After you had the oil and maple, stir.
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Onto the baking sheet it goes. (We line ours to make clean-up easier.)
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Spread it out into an even layer, then go do something while it bakes.
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You'll come back to this.
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