Chewy buckwheat clusters

You should all know by now that i'm a little obssesed with oats...and that doesn't look set to change anytime soon! BUT there is a new kid on the block...in the form of buckwheat. I had a top up delivery of foodie delights from my wholesaler last week which included 10 kilos of raw buckwheat groats!

Up until now I've genrally milled the buckwheat to make flour, since that is the GF flour of choice for the majority of my recipes. However, recently a few recipies using the whole groats recently caught my eye, in addition to a few energy bar experiments that I wil be rervealing more about shortly! This buckwheat granola by Angela over at Oh She Glows particulalrly grabbed my attention and so I wanted to try out my own spin on it!

Anyway, back to the recipe itself. This is a buckwheat granola and I simply swapped buckwheat for the usual oats and in keeping with my sugar free Whole Food Challenge I have used date syrup to sweeten and bind, it works perfectly and gives lovely crispy chewy nuggets of buckwheat delight!

Here I made a date syrup with roughly a 4:1 ratio of dates to water made by soaking the dates in hot water and then blending until smooth (you can make a jars worth and store in the fridge) Once again, we have a very versatile recipe as a great base for ‘mix ins’. Just be sure that the balance of dry ingredients to wet stays roughly the same to ensure the mixture clumps together well as it is baked.

I actually made a similar recipe using a few different ingredients including coconut sugar for a more itense caramelly flavour. You can find the recipe here at Real Food Source  (along with many other recipes I have created for them).

 

Recipe: Buckwheat granola clusters 


Makes 1 ½ cups

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat groats (soaked and well drained*- they don't need to be totally dry)
¼ cup date syrup and a pinch of stevia to taste
¼ cup coconut flakes or other nuts/seeds (optional)
2 tbs peanut butter (or other nut butter) this should be drippy
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt (omit if using salted butter)


Method:

Mix the date syrup with the nut butter of choice, cinnamon and salt. Add the buckwheat groats and coconut flakes, nuts or seeds and mix through lightly until well coated.

Lay in clumps in a even layer on a lined baking sheet and bake on a low temperature- approx 140C for approx 30-40 mins until just golden. The granola will still be soft and sticky but will crisp up as it cools.

*Soak the buckwheat for a few hours or overnight, drain and rinse at least twice as buckwheat residue is very slimy. I prepared a big batch and kept the remainder in the fridge for a few days. to use for other things,

 

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Triple gingerbread pancakes

This post and the last have actually been written up in reverse order to how they were created in the kitchen...simply because I got a little too excitable about the gingerbread sauce!

Triple ginger...?

...ginger pancakes, gingerbread granola, gingerbread sauce...you do like ginger right?  

Erm if not, maybe the pancakes below will be more up you street.

Strawberry cream pancakes

Lemon and poppy seed pancakes

Blueberry banana pancakes

Spiced apple pancakes

For the gingerbread recipe, I used my oatmeal blini recipe to get an oaty kick to start the morning, but you could use spelt or GF flours as per the other recipes linked above or your own tried and tested recipe, just add the ginger and molasses. For the sauce, see this post. My sauce was runnier than I had originally envisaged as I was too impatient to let the ingredients freeze fully and I spent too much time faffing around before taking the photos. For a thicker frosting to sandwich between the pancakes simply freeze for longer either before or after blending.

Gingerbread reminds me of the holidays, cold weather and warm sticky cake fresh from the oven....maybe i'm simply not ready to leave behind the seasonal festivities quite yet.

Recipe: triple gingerbread pancakes

makes 4 (easy to double)

Ingredients:

50g ground oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

70g soy milk

1 tsp ground chia or flax

1 tbs maple syrup

1/2 tsp molasses (optional to taste)

1/2-1 tsp ground ginger

For ginger bread sauce- see this recipe

For gingerbread granola- see this recipe

Method:

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl ensuring no lumps.

In a lightly oiled frying pan, spoon pancake mixture into rounds and fry on a medium heat for approx. 2 minutes each side until cooked through and golden.

Serve immediately with gingerbread sauce and granola or other toppings as desired.

Note: you could also use a melon baller and make mini pancakes to skewer as per this recipe.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Hot pear with gingerbread sauce

This was the 'accidental breakfast' I declared on my facebook page last Saturday...most worthy of its declaration, it was amazing, maybe even better than the original breakfast it was a spin off from (although that is pretty good too and will feature tomorrow!)  or maybe it was so good as it was unexpected...those moments are always the best!

So, I actually ended up having two breakfasts on Saturday...but it was around 11:30am when I ate this second one so that's pretty much lunch right?

The gingerbread sauce is the star..so good. yet so simple! Just three ingredients and depending on whether you freeze the yoghurt/banana beforehand determines whether you get a thicker frosting or cream consistency. Once blended you could also re-freeze for a short while if necessary. One sauce...two ways!  Yes the sauce does have a taste of banana, more so if your banana is very ripe (mine was quite green and still perfectly sweet enough) but the strength of the ginger does dominate and create a lovely flavour compliment.

You could use it on pretty much anything dessert like (or breakfast like) in nature. Or warm a brownie or muffins and drizzle the sauce over. I whipped up a simple 5 minute breakfast, hot pear chunks, gingerbread granola and gingerbread sauce. Don't skimp on the molasses if you can help it as this creates a lovely sweet caramelised puddle of juice at the bottom of the dish from the hot pear juice.  This really is more like dessert,  I would eat this as dessert any day of the week and still feel like i'm treating myself... i'm already planning more gingerbread sauce creations to get my fix!

Check out these recipes for inspiration to add the gingerbread sauce to. In particular this sticky jamaican ginger cake...mmmmm with at hot gingerbread custard version.




Recipe: Hot pear with gingerbread sauce

Serves 1
1 pear cut into chunks
1/2 tsp molasses
gingerbread granola as per this recipe (or any granola topping)
gingerbread sauce- see recipe below (for a single serving I used approx 1/3 the amount the recipe below makes)

sauce: serves 1-3
1 small frozen banana (approx 80g)
equal quantity of frozen yoghurt chunks
1/2 tsp ground ginger to taste(for a thicker frosting use frozen ingredients or freeze briefly before serving)

Method:

Chop the pear into fairly small chunks and add alongside a blob of molasses to a small bowl. Cook pear chunks in the microwave for 90 seconds.

Meanwhile blend the sauce ingredients together in a mini blender until well blended. 

Serve the hot pear and molasses mix topped with granola and drizzled with gingerbread sauce.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Holiday spiced fruit granola

Christmas breakfast take-two….that’s if you haven’t already been swayed by my Christmas baked oatmeal! Maybe you’ll just have to have two breakfasts…or even better reserve this for a snack. Mid morning, or mid afternoon, whenever you’re flagging an in need of a spiced fruity kick all packed into a little chewy granola nugget to power you through your day.

I love to eat a handful of granola clusters as a snack, but if you are more the breakfast kind you can spread the raw mixture thinly and bake to make more of a ‘flaked granola’ and serve with your favourite fruit/milk/yoghurt. Layer up that breakfast bowl!

There are two things I really love about this granola: the smooshed up fruit (aka mincemeat) gives the chunks an amazing glazed crisp yet chewy texture it is amazing. Secondly because the fruit pieces in the mincemeat have been smooshed to a more paste, it doesn’t burn it like whole raisins or cranberries etc would do. I also added some extra dried fruit to the mix once cooked but that’s optional.

I know I am a little oat obsessed…we are only 5 days in and already we have two oat recipes! Well I am not apologising, I love my oats and they make the perfect snack for a bit of sweet sustenance. But I’ll do you a deal...no more oats for the next few days, I have a few more ideas in store!

Recipe: Holiday spiced fruit granola

Makes approx 2-3 bowls (or 2 baking sheets worth)

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup oats

2 tbs chia seeds

1 cup hazel nuts (or any nut mix)

¼ cup flakes almonds

¼ cup mincemeat

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp rum extract to taste- optional

1 tbs orange zest (or ½ tsp extract if no zest)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground mixed spice

2 tbs coconut oil- melted

2 tbs rapadura (or other unrefined sugar) or more to taste

½ cup cranberries or other dried fruits mixed through once cooked- optional

  

Method:

Melt the coconut oil and mix with the extracts, mincemeat and zest.

Add all dry ingredients  (except whole dried fruit pieces) to a medium bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients and mix through to form a sticky mix.

Spoon onto 2 lightly greased baking sheets making sure to achieve a thin even layer with lots of clumpy bits for clusters or a no clumps for a flaked mix.

Bake at 170C for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden, flakes may take a minute or so less. Add the dried cherries/cranberries to the mixture once cooled. Stores in cupboard for a few weeks.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

PB&J granola clusters

It was only a few weeks ago that I made these PB&J no bake bars, the sweetness of the berries and the rich roasted peanuts are such a  great combo I couldn't wait to try out another variation…what better than a new baked granola flavour!

You can make the granola as clusters (my favourite) or as a smaller flake. I like to serve the clusters with a good dollop of vegan yoghurt, this would also be great serve with fresh strawberries, cherries or raspberries too.

What is your favourite way to eat granola? (other than grabbing handfuls out of the bag)  Unfortunately my other favourite way is eating the ‘raw’ granola mix before it even makes it into the oven…it think it almost tastes better than cooked granola, it’s a close call!

Recipe: PB&J granola clusters

Makes one large bowlful

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup oats

2 tbs chia seeds

½ cup roasted peanuts- chopped

2tbs ground flax

2 tbs peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs coconut oil- melted

1 tbs maple syrup or agave

2 tbs sugar free raspberry or strawberry jam

¼ cup mix dried cherries or cranberries- optional

Method

Melt the coconut oil and peanut butter (unless it is already very runny) and add to the other liquid ingredients.

Add all dry ingredients to the wet mixture(except cherries/cranberries) and mix through.

Spoon onto 2 lightly greased baking sheets making sure to achieve a thin even layer with lots of clumpy bits.

Bake at 170C for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden. Add the dried cherries/cranberries to the mixture once cooled. Stores in cupboard for a few weeks.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Pumpkin granola muffins

I have made a lot of pumpkin puree this last couple of weeks. I blended it up and froze it in muffin cup portion sizes…so many of my baking experiments have been making use of it.

This recipe is no exception and it is a double whammy as you have a pumpkin granola topping too! Of course the granola is optional- you could simply top with nuts and spice instead, but since at the time I was making a batch of this granola I figured it would be a good opportunity to set aside a little for the muffin tops.

mini muffins using a buckwheat flour mix

I’ve made these muffins using both flour combinations- spelt and my GF mix. I think between them I preferred the spelt, I enjoyed the buckwheat but found the flavour slightly dominant over the pumpkin, you may find it preferable to use oat flour or brown rice flour in its place.

For the granola topping, take pinches of raw granola mix and press firmly into the top of the uncooked muffin. Pre-baked granola will burn.  I also used mini muffin tins on my second attempt as the first try using full sized muffin cups lead to the granola burning at the edges before the muffins had cooked through.  If you are opting for a topping I would definitely advise you not to use larger than cupcake tins.

larger spelt muffins- great texture but burnt tops

These make the perfect winter warming snack served warm with a little vegan yoghurt and a drizzle of maple syrup….so good!

Recipe: Pumpkin granola muffins

Approx. 8 mini muffins

Ingredients

1 cup GF flour mix (I used ½ buckwheat, ¼ tapioca, ¼ ground almonds) or WM spelt

¼ cup coconut sugar/rapadura and 1/6^th tsp stevia

pinch salt

1 ½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground chia

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs coconut oil- melted

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs agave syrup

¼ cup apple or orange juice

Topping: 1/3 cup pumpkin granola for topping- optional

Method

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and then add wet ingredients. Mix together lightly but well.

Spoon the batter into 8 mini muffins pans and press the uncooked granola mix into the top of the batter in each case.

Bake at 180C for approx. 12 mins until cooked through when tested with a toothpick.

Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup if you want to be full on indulgent!

NOTE: you can make regular sized muffins but I found that the topping began to burn a little before the muffins were fully cooked.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

DAY TWENTY SIX: Pumpkin granola

whoop whoop granola time.  Oh the excitement…! (time for a few explanation marks too, I just can’t help myself!!)

I had lots of pumpkin puree left after blending up this soup ‘bowl’ and I’ve been having fun using it up.  I froze it in silicone cupcake  trays and then popped them out once frozen for easy storage (and to save on using lots of freezer bags).

My go to granola recipe is usually this gingerbread granola or the fruity nutty variety, but you know what, I think I quite the autumnal spices going on here!  I baked the dried cranberries in with the mixture, which is ok but they do have a tendency to get a little burnt before the granola has crisped up since I like chunky granola clusters so it takes that bit longer to cook. You’d be fine if you went for a less chunky granola, otherwise maybe add them in afterwards.  There is not oil in this recipe which makes for a lovely chewy granola, feel free to add a couple of tablespoons of melted coconut oil if you fancy a little more bite.

My favourite way to serve this granola was as a breakfast bowl with soy yoghurt and fresh pear chunks. Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon or ginger over the top and you are good to go!

Recipe: pumpkin granola

Makes one large bowlful

Ingredients

½ cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbs maple syrup and 1/6^th tsp stevia

1 ½ cup oats

½ cup pumpkin seeds

4 tbs flax or ground chia

¼ cup walnut pieces

¼ cups dates or dried cranberries –chopped

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp mixed spice

¼ tsp salt

Method:

Mix the pumpkin puree, vanilla, maple syrup and stevia together in a small bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl and then add the wet mixing until everything is well coated. Spoon onto 2 lightly greased baking sheets making sure a thin even layer with some clumpy bits if preferred. Bake at 170C for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden. Allow to cool fully before storage. Stores in cupboard for a few weeks.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

DAY NINETEEN: Coconut granola

A little twist on my favourite oaty snack…coconut butter style!

crisp baked oatmeal

This experiment was originally inspired by this recipe by Quirky Cooking.  Jo is a fellow Thermomixer and I love her blog for it’s quirky offerings with a mindset similar to my own.

Taking the coconut butter (homemade of course) and its superfood add-ins I simply wanted to go that bit further and add oats…voila, a no-bake granola.  I had hoped that this would break off in large chunks (just the way I like it best) in its raw state, however it was more of a traditional flaky granola style…that was until I baked it!

Ok, so baking it of course means the granola is no longer raw but I can live with that, it gave a lovely contrast to the raw version- 1 recipe 2 ways.  When it was first baked I wasn’t sure quite sure what I thought…hmmmm, it just didn’t quite have the pizazz.  But once cooled properly it really came into its own with an amazing crisp bite, courtesy of the coconut butter.

I will say that is not a low calorie granola with it lashings of coconut butter, but it is full of good-for-you foods and healthy fats so it still ticks the boxes in my book and would be great as a crisp topping, a little goes a long way. Of course you can also vary the add-ins as much as you like to meet your own personal taste.

no-bake soft oatmeal clusters

Recipe: Coconut granola

Makes one baking sheet full

Ingredients

150g coconut butter (not coconut oil)

20g cacao nibs

100g oats

¼ tsp stevia

3 tbs agave

20g each flaked almonds/chia seeds/dried cranberries/dried blueberries/sun flower seeds (or other combinations)

Method

Melt the coconut butter gently until runny. Mix through all remaining ingredients until fully coated in coconut butter.

Press into a large shallow baking pan to form a layer approx1cm thick. Allow to set in the fridgeand use as a raw granola crumble or bake for approx. 10-15 mins until slightly golden. Allow to cool fully before breaking into chunks.

This raw granola actually tasted so good with some soy milk and a dusting of cinnamon

baked is my favourite!

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

DAY SEVENTEEN: PB&J chunky granola no-bake bars

At last...Success! 

I first had a go at making these bars over a year ago, at around the time I'd first discovered homemade smoosh bars. However my first attempt didn't go down so well and I attribute this to one critical factor- you must use roasted peanuts!! (ideally roast them yourself for 10 mins in the oven at 200C).  My first attempt just tasted off and didn't have any oomph- roasted peanuts taste so different to raw peanuts with such a depth of flavour. 

This time around I also left the mix a little more chunky and pressed some extra roasted chunks in to the top for good measure. I also changed some other ingredients up a bit and added a good dose of oats to the mix!!

I used a little sugar free strawberry jam and they were very sweet- indulgently decadently sweet, i'd even go so far as saying almost a little too sweet for me (almost... but not quite!)  you could probably use fresh berry 

puree instead for a slightly more subtle flavour or just use a little less jam...they will be perfectly sweet enough from the raisins.

You can use any dried red berries you wish, cherry or even goji if you are going for superfood factor- the sweetness of the jam should compensate for any tartness. This mix would also make a great raw crumble topping instead of packing it down into bars.

Recipe: PB&J granola no bake bars

Makes approx. 10 cubes

Ingredients

100g raisins

50g dried cranberries/cherries

80g roasted peanuts

50g oats (ground) 30g oats (unground)

20g chia seeds (optional)

½ tsp mixed spice

3 tbs sugar free strawberry or raspberry jam

Method

Add raisins, 50g ground oats, chia seeds and spice to a food processor and process for a few seconds to a paste. Add the roasted peanuts, dried berries, jam and remaining oats and pulse until the mixture is sticky and chunky.

Pack the mixture into a suitably sized tin and press some extra peanut chunks into the top. Chill for an hour before slicing into squares.  Alternatively you could form balls and roll in extra nuts.

You can find more no-bake recipes here.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

DAY TWELVE: Ginger granola bake

I‘m in bake mode!!

I am also in ginger mode….as a spin off from this recipe we now have a ginger granola bake. Of course you don’t have to top it with the ginger granola…but it is sooo good if you do, just saying! Double dose of oats- perfectly fitting for my Vegan MOFO theme.

I have made this bake a couple of times, the first time I put less baking powder and took it out of the oven slightly earlier when it was barely cooked through, this gave it a dense chewy, dessert-like consistency, whereas the recipe below should be more cake-like (does that make sense?)

I’d advise you taste test the batter before spooning into the dish to judge your own personal preference on sweetness- add a little more agave/stevia if preferred.

Mmmmm, now I want to eat more granola…you might have guessed that was my favourite part. Right, now to figure out what other recipes I can granolify!! Ideas welcome….

Recipe: Ginger granola bake

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 banana- mashed

1 tsp molasses (more if you like a strong taste)

3 tbs agave ad 1/6tsp stevia

2 tsp olive oil

¼ cup soy milk

1 cup oats

3 tbs buckwheat flour (or other GF flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1 heaped tsp ground ginger

½ tsp mixed spice

2 tsp ground chia or flax

Topping- unbaked gingerbread granola and a drizzle of molasses once baked. See this recipe

Method

Mix the mashed banana with the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together in a larger bowl then add the wet mixture and mix through.

Spoon the mixture into a small oven dish (min was approx. 15cm diameter) and top generously with the raw granola mix pressing it into the mixture.

Bake for approx. 15 mins until the granola is golden. Drizzle with a little molasses if desired.

Allow to cool a little before slicing and serving.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

DAY FIVE: Gingerbread granola

There just had to be at least one granola recipe for MOFO ‘Oatober’  (see what I did there…*sigh*). Chances are you be seeing more flavour combos as granola is one of my favourite snacks of all time. If I’m not in an experimentation moos and I just want to eat granola right that minute my go to choc/nut and gingerbread flavours are always winners, so it’s so what surprising that I haven't written his recipe up on here already.

Well I have now!

Like with all granolas, just keep throwing things in, roughly following the method below until the texture is right…you want it pretty sticky if you want to be able to form nice clumpy pieces. Big chunks of granola is how I prefer to eat it as that way you have the choice to crumble it over cereal or grad a handful for a snack on it’s own. Feel free to reduce the wet ingredients (or up the oat content) a little if you want a dryer mix that will give a more even flaky result (note I haven’t tested it this way).

Ginger reminds me of Christmas…ok maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here! But I just love the warming autumn and winter spices that come out at this time of year. It’s the same with cinnamon and cloves. Even though I pretty much dowse my food in cinnamon at all times of year regardless, now it feels as though I have even more excuse to do so!

For other granola recipes and oat-free options (shock horror) have a little browse on my breakfast page for inspiration.

Recipe: Gingerbread granola

One large bowlful

Gingerbread - ingredients

                                                                    

1 ¼ cup oats

2 tbs chia seeds

1 cup mix of nuts (I used almond and hazelnut)

2tbs each of sunflower and pumpkin seeds

2tbs ground flax

3 tbs apple puree

1 tsp vanilla extract or powder

2 tbs coconut oil- melted

1 tbs agave

1tsp-1tbs molasses (depending on preferred strength)

1 tbs rapadura/palm sugar

2-3 tbs chopped crystalised ginger- optional

Method

Makes approx. 2 medium bowls (or two baking sheets worth)

Melt coconut butter/oil into other liquid ingredients. Add all dry ingredients and mix through. Spoon onto 2 lightly greased baking sheets making sure a thin even layer with some clumpy bits. Bake at 170C for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden. Allow to cool fully before storage. Stores in a kitchen cupboard for a few weeks.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.