nuts

For the fellow smitten Muesli lovers...

What better way to end your post party bangover weekend than cuddling up with a big bowl of raw muesli.  Muesli essentially is a raw version of granola, using nutrient dense nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and variations of grains. 

This muesli contains my favorite seeds of all including chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and buckwheat. Buckwheat is the base of our muesli and despite it's name it does not contain any wheat therefore, you've got the GF stamp of approval. Buckwheat stabilizes blood sugar, strengthens the kidneys, is rich in vitamin E and B vitamins, and is super filling.  Buckwheat that has been roasted is known as kasha and will have a deep amber color. Since this buckwheat will be sprouted, make sure you use raw buckwheat and not kasha. After soaking the buckwheat overnight, drain the water and rinse it thoroughly.  Buckwheat gets slimy as it sits so rinse it until it is no longer slimy. Let it drain well and then let it sit out at room temperature to sprout for 2 days, rinsing it every 4 – 8 hours or so.  At the end of two days, your buckwheat will have little tails and will be ready for the dehydrator. Along with your buckwheat, it would be a good idea to soak and dehydrate your nuts and seeds. This process will remove a lot of the phytic acid found in most nuts and seeds and activate the enzymes which assist with the digestion of nuts. Okay so this sounds more like a weekend project with all this soaking, sprouting and dehydrating, but trust us it's worth it. 

(Note: I have a 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator thats about 6 years old. It's one of my favorite kitchen appliances and it’s the perfect size for making large batches of cereal at once.)

Once your respected nuts, seeds and buckwheat have been soaked/sprouted you can start adding the rest of your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Muesli is the most versatile, you can make it your own and vary it as you like—mixing your favorite grains and throwing in plenty of fruit and nuts.  A worthy mention why this muesli is the best: it’s contains zero added sugar except for the natural sugar of dried fruit.

Ingredients:

2 cups raw Buckwheat
Water for soaking and rinsing
Pumpkin Seeds
Chia Seeds
Sliced Almonds
Sprinkle of Flax seeds
Half a cup of dried Coconut
Half a cup of dried fruit (goji berries, raisins, unsweetened cherries, blueberries, cranberries, etc)
 

Method:

  1. Soak the buckwheat overnight, drain the water and rinse it thoroughly. Let it drain well and then let it sit out at room temperature to sprout for 2 days, rinsing it (and draining well) every 4 - 8 hours or so. At the end of two days, your buckwheat will have little tails and will be ready for the dehydrator.
  2. Lay buckwheat flat in a single layer on a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 115 degrees F for about 6 - 8 hours, until light and crispy.
  3. Once dried, mix buckwheat with your other ingredients like nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Store at room temperature in a mason jar or airtight container. Serve with a nut milk, yogurt and heat up this cereal on the stovetop if you'd like it warm.

Grandma's Granola

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This isn’t my grandma’s granola recipe. This recipe was for my grandma, as gift for her birthday. Also in a way a gift to my grandpa- he can’t leave the breakfast table till his yogurt is gone, and he hates yogurt. But pouring this granola on it should alleviate some of the pain.

The good thing about good granola, is that there never necessarily has to be a rhyme or rhythm to what ingredients get thrown in. It’s easy to take the traditional route - nuts, dried berries, seeds, etc. Then of course there’s some cray flavor combos worth experimenting with- cacao, espresso, black cherries, balsamic vinegar, goji berries, other random delicious ingredients… And of course it’s always nice to be seasonal (pumpkin pie spice on everything?).  

Either way, everything tastes great when its drenched in sugar. I skipped conventional brown sugar and used raw honey instead. Lots of raw honey. That, with the coconut oil and almond butter keeps this granola batch really moist. Which is important because granola is easy to burn. The rest of the ingredients revolve around the “go big or go home” mantra, pouring in just about everything in the kitchen cupboard. 

I ran the dried fruits and 1/2 of the nuts through the food processor, but for a chunkier granola just chop to desired size. Also, be sure to use pitted dates! Obvious, but unfortunate if forgotten.

It’s good to keep an eye on your granola when its in the oven, mixing it around occasionally so that everything bakes evenly. For extra crispiness, either continue to bake on a lower temperature, or just take out and let sit overnight. When done, put in an airtight container. Then hide the container. Granola so good its hard to put down.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil (some will be used to oil the pan)
3 cups rolled oats (be sure to soak overnight)
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw coconut flakes
1/2 cup flax seeds
lots of shakes of cinnamon & nutmeg
1/2 cup (ore more) raw almond butter with maple
1/4 cup pistachios
2 cups pecans (love em)
1/2 cup dried apricots
4 of 5 dates
1/2 cup almonds
2 cups raw honey (sure that’s a lot, but its how I can get away with no sugar)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚
2. Cut up the dried fruits, dates, and any larger nuts. Chop in larger chunks, or for more of a past throw in the food processor.
3. Combine the oats and flax seeds in a large mixing bowl.
4. Melt the coconut oil, and combine 1/4 with the oats.
5. Add in the honey, almond butter, and reaming ingredients. Combine with hands (the mixture is usually a bit tough, so this way usually is the easiest to evenly mix everything in).
6. Depending on desired moisture, add more honey if necessary. Or a dribble of almond milk.
7. Add in any whole nuts.
8. Oil your baking sheet with the remainder of your melted coconut oil.
9. Turn the oven down to 325˚, and bake granola for about 20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it, mixing and turning over as necessary.