Sprouted Buckwheat Granola
ORGANIC SPROUTED BUCKWHEAT GRANOLA
In spite of its name, buckwheat is not actually wheat at all. It's a gluten-free, wheat-free and grain-free fruit seed that is known for its blood pressure and cholesterol lowering effects. It is a complete protein, containing all 8 essential amino acids. Taking the extra step to sprout buckwheat helps to breakdown the anti-nutrients and hard-to-digest components of the seed and at the same time, helps to release highly beneficial nutrients.
I've been itching to make buckwheat granola since I first tried it at my favorite raw food restaurant, Present Moment Cafe, in St Augustine, Florida. Now that I have this dehydrator, I am constantly on the lookout for fun recipes to test. Last week I got used to dehydrating the leftover pulp from our homemade nut milks to use in simple cookie recipes like this one (pumpkin seed pulp and hazelnut pulp, in lieu of the almond meal, also worked well!). Kale, olive oil and sea salt were all I needed for an easy batch of kale chips that the whole family loved. There's really nothing to it. Clean up is a breeze if you line the trays with unbleached parchment paper. The only modification I've had to make is to leave the food in up to as much as twice the recommended time since I live in Florida. The humidity here makes it more difficult to extract all the moisture from the dehydrating food. It's an ideal climate for sprouting buckwheat however...
Makes 6 cups
• 2 C raw, sprouted buckwheat (watch this video)
• 1 C raw pecans, roughly chopped
• 1/4 C raw sunflower seeds
• 1-2 T chia seeds
• 2 T coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 C raw honey, maple syrup or brown rice syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 C organic raisins or currants
1. Sprout your buckwheat according to directions in the link above
2. Drain the sprouted buckwheat and place in a large bowl
3. Mix in the pecans, chia seeds and raisins or currants
4. In a separate bowl whisk the coconut oil, honey or syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt
5. Pour over the buckwheat mixture and stir to coat evenly
6. Spread onto dehydrator trays (covered in unbleached parchment or silicone sheets for easy clean-up)
7. Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 7-8 hours in a dry climate or 10-12+ in a more humid location
8. It's ready when the texture is light and crunchy
9. Cool completely and store in an airtight container
10. Try not to eat it all in one sitting!
I wasn't able to find raw organic sunflower seeds, so I used organic roasted seeds. My final granola wasn't 100% raw, but the roasted seeds gave it a nice flavor. You can also soak and sprout your sunflower seeds for optimal digestibility.
*As your buckwheat sprouts you will end up with much more than you originally measured. You can simply dehydrate the leftover sprouted buckwheat, store in the freezer, and use in buckwheat pancakes later!
