Date & buckwheat granola with pecans & seeds

This all-natural granola is sweetened with date purée to make crunchy clusters of nutrient-rich oats, grains seeds and nuts

  • Prep:10 mins
    Cook:35 mins
    plus overnight soaking
  • Serves 8
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 387
  • fat 12g
  • saturates 2g
  • carbs 50g
  • sugars 34g
  • fibre 3g
  • protein 15g
  • salt 0.3g

Ingredients

  • 85g buckwheat
  • 4 Medjool dates, stoned
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 100g traditional oats
  • 2 tsp rapeseed oil
  • 25g sunflower seeds
  • 25g pumpkin seeds
  • 25g flaked almonds
  • 50g pecans nuts, roughly broken into halves
  • 50g sultanas (without added oil)
  • 2 x 150ml pots low-fat bio natural yogurt
  • 2 ripe nectarines or peaches, stoned and sliced

Tip

How to activate your grains

‘Activating’ grains, nuts, seeds and pulses make them easier to digest, and ensures that you get maximum nutrition from them. To do this, place them in a glass or ceramic bowl with double the volume of cold, filtered water. Cover and leave at room temperature for eight hours or overnight, then drain and rinse before use. Will keep for up to three days in the fridge, just rinse again before using.

Method

  1. Soak the buckwheat overnight in cold water. The next day, drain and rinse the buckwheat. Put the dates in a pan with 300ml water and the cinnamon, and blitz with a stick blender until completely smooth. Add the buckwheat, bring to the boil and cook, uncovered, for 5 mins until pulpy. Meanwhile, heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

  2. Stir the oats and oil into the date and buckwheat mixture, then spoon small clusters of the mixture onto the baking trays. Bake for 15 mins, then carefully scrape the clusters from the parchment if they have stuck and turn before spreading out again. Return to the oven for another 15 mins, turning frequently, until firm and golden.

  3. When the mix is dry enough, tip into a bowl, mix in the seeds and nuts with the sultanas and toss well. When cool, serve each person a generous handful with yogurt and fruit, and pack the excess into an airtight container. Will keep for a week. On other days you can vary the fruit or serve with milk or a dairy-free alternative instead of the yogurt.

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