Saturday is my day for meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking/baking for the week. I enjoy it, and it’s the only way to ensure I have healthy choices ready to go for the upcoming week.
The other weekend I decided to experiment with buckwheat groats.
Gluten-free seeds, buckwheat groats can be boiled and eaten for breakfast like oatmeal or roasted and made into a crunchy granola. They can be a substitute for rice at dinner, and are also available as noodles. (They can be called soba noodles, but make sure they are wheat-free.) You can also buy buckwheat flour to make gluten-free muffins, cookies or pancakes.
Even though I don’t have sensitivity to gluten, I like eating gluten-free grains from time to time. Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, which can be hard to digest. It is actually one of the most common food allergens. People who are allergic to gluten (or celiac) can experience symptoms such as bloating, gas, headaches, fatigue and nausea.
Give your digestive system a break and try this recipe for buckwheat granola. It’s amazing on its own as a healthy dessert, or as a crunchy, sweet topping on oatmeal, my Homemade Cereal (I’ve been doing half oats, half buckwheat granola) or yogurt. I adapted this recipe from Oh She Glows; Enjoy!
Crunchy Buckwheat Granola
Ingredients
Dry:
1 ½ cups of buckwheat groats (available at Bulk Barn or health food store)
⅓ cup ground flaxseed
½ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup coconut palm sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
Wet:
2 tbsp coconut or grapeseed oil
¼ cup unpasteurized honey
3 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
Preheat oven to 300°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until combined. You may have to add a bit more almond butter and honey if your mixture isn’t sticking together.
Spread mixture out on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and loosely toss. Bake for an additional 15 to18 minutes.
Let mixture cool on baking sheet (this is when it gets really crispy).
Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Will keep for 2 weeks (if you can manage to make it last that long without eating it all).
