Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Banana Bread Buckwheat Granola

Banana Bread Buckwheat Granola is a delicious breakfast or snack filled with flavour, fibre and protein - all while being gluten free and vegan! 

Banana Bread Buckwheat Granola

When it comes to preparing for the upcoming school year, breakfasts are always top of mind. After all, a good day can't begin without something on the stomach! For me, and many of the kids, the morning meal needs to be portable and easy to grab - not to mention low in mess! Last year, I started toting homemade granola in little baggies for snacks, and now my mom will use it on her yogurt or even on her porridge in the morning for a bit of texture! 

This granola, in particular, was inspired by one of my family's favourite treats - banana bread. Now, I don't know of any banana bread they've eaten with whole buckwheat, amaranth, pumpkin seeds and coconut, but the fruit is amazingly versatile and - when paired with a good drizzle of maple syrup - perfect for carrying all the other flavours going on here. I wish I could say the idea was mine alone, but that credit has to go to Alexandra from In My Bowl, who reminded me that granola does not have to be based on oats! 

Yup, that's right - no oats are in this medley, just a high fibre, high protein mix of pseudocereals, seeds, coconut and walnuts. As a side bonus, this granola is free of refined sugar, and is also both gluten free and vegan. If nuts are an issue, or like me you can't handle coconut, add other seeds, roasted chickpeas, quinoa flakes or dried fruit to make up the bulk. That's the beauty of granola - it's almost completely fool proof.

With all that nutrition combined with the fragrance of spiced bananas and maple, this is more than worth waking up to - and if you pack it up into individual baggies after it cools, there's no excuse for not eating healthfully in the wee hours!


Banana Bread Buckwheat Granola
Makes approx. 5 1/2 cups, 22 (1/4 cup) servings
2 ½ cups raw buckwheat groats
½ cup amaranth or millet
½ cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup finely shredded raw coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 large, very ripe banana, mashed
2 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp 100% pure maple syrup
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F (325F convection) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Combine the buckwheat and amaranth in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak 1 hour (up to overnight).
  3. Drain grains and add to a large bowl.
  4. Add the walnuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut and spices.
  5. Add the mashed banana, oil, and maple syrup and stir until everything is nicely coated.
  6. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, stirring halfway through

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 151.0
Total Fat: 6.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 10.7 mg
Total Carbs: 21.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.4 g
Protein: 4.7 g

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