Blueberry Vanilla Harmony Granola

I’m kind of giggling as I write this because well, it’s a granola post and I’m sure you’ve heard the typical stereotype comment “tree hugging granola eater” and well.. that’s exactly right! Seriously though, will someone tell me what’s wrong with hugging trees and loving granola? Trees make it possible for us to breathe clean air and granola is tasty! So anyways, this recipe is super quick to make and it’s also kid friendly (I would probably leave the maca out for kids though). We’re combining vanilla, cinammon, maca and blueberry to create a delicious harmony of flavours. Buckwheat is fairly inexpensive when you buy it in bulk so I really enjoy using it for breads and cereals.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Buckwheat, soaked overnight
  • 1 cup Sliced Almonds, soaked overnight
  • 2 cups Dried Blueberries
  • 1 tbsp. Vanilla Bean powder
  • ¼ tsp. Cinammon
  • 1 tsp. Maca
  • 1/2  cup brown rice syrup or yacon syrup

Instructions: Soak your buckwheat overnight up to 14 hours but minimal 12 hours and rinse it thoroughly. Place it in a strainer over the sink or in a bowl for about 10 minutes and let the excess water drain out.  Mix in your almonds, blueberries, powders and brown rice syrup and place on dehydrator sheets. You’ll want to keep the granola quite globbed together on the tray so it doesn’t dehydrate in tiny pieces. Dehydrate for about 24 hours at 115.

5 Rawesome Facts about this Granola

1. Buckwheat is a “complete protein”. Not that you have to eat complete proteins or combinations of amino acids to equal complete proteins to get enough on a plant based diet, but still I share this data point because it’s impressive if you’re still wrapping your head around the vegan protein thing.

2. Cinammon is a warming herb and in Chinese medicine it is commonly used to increase vitality and also improve circulation. For example, cinammon can be used for someone who tends to have a warm upper body but always has cold feet.

3. Maca is also high in amino acids and thus high in protein. It’s also an adaptogenic herb that helps to balance hormones. Adaptogenic herbs work with your body to create harmony, they “adapt” rather then just making levels rise or fall.

4. Vanilla bean contains small traces of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, iron and zinc. Make sure you get real vanilla bean, artificial extracts will absolutely not do and do not contain the same nutrients as natural vanilla bean.

5. Almonds win out on the nutrition scale when compared to all other nuts. They contain  vitamin E, calcium, phosphorous, iron and magnesium. It also contains zinc, selenium, copper and niacin.

 

Sheleana Aiyana

Sheleana is passionate about getting back to nature through real food and empowering women to walk the feminine path of self-care and deep self-awareness. She's a birth doula in Vancouver, BC She's an avid reader, intuitive culinary goddess and cat lady in the making.