Buckwheat Banana Bread Granola

Granola has always been one of my favourite foods. Growing up in the hot climate of Perth, my all time favourite treat would be a bowl of granola topped with vanilla yoghurt, nuts, and fresh fruit.

While the crisp winters of Tassie leave me craving comfort food 70% of the year, as soon as the September sun comes out I head straight to the local supermarket to grab the freshest, most delicious fruits I can find. On this particular trip down to Hill Street Grocer I was inspired by some beautiful tropical fruits... oh, and the flowers I picked along the way!

Now, buckwheat is not the most exciting of ingredients, I'm not going to lie. So what's all the fuss about? While it's taste is probably less exciting than a bowl of dried up grass, it's crunchy texture goes deliciously with any mixture of nuts, grains and fruit. Buckwheat is also high in fibre, gluten free, and full of antioxidants. Hence why I was inspired to incorporate it into my granola recipe...

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Ingredients :

1 cup of oats

1 cup of buckwheat

2 tablespoons of chia seeds

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

half a cup of raw walnuts

half a cup of raw hazelnuts

1 mashed banana

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil

2 tablespoons of honey, or agave nectar

seeds scraped from half a vanilla bean 

(alternatively, you could just use a teaspoon of vanilla extract)

Method:

The method is ridiculously easy. Firstly, pr-heat your oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

Then, you simply mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, all the wet ingredients in another, and then combine the two. 

Spread the mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 10 minutes, turning the mixture halfway through (this roasts the nuts nice and evenly).

Leave the mixture to cool before breaking it into rough clusters. You can store this in a jar or airtight container for about a week. 

Serve with whatever milk/yoghurt/fruit/nuts/flowers you desire! 

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