TAHINI CHOCOLATE GRANOLA

This is a recipe adapted from one of my favourite blogs My New Roots. Her recipe for chunky chocolate buckwheat granola is so tasty, chocolaty and moreish. It makes a great snack and a treat of a breakfast.  

Despite how delicious it is already is I decided to make a version with added tahini, I love adding tahini to sweets, or to anything and everything really. 

I also added cinnamon because tahini and cinnamon is a dream and one of my favourites.  I’m instantly taken back to being a kid in Cyprus, eating tahinopita (a delicious tahini cinnamon pastry). The combination of the sweet with tahini and cinnamon, it’s just too good!

Now, yes, at first glance this doesn’t look like the healthiest start to your day but this granola is actually nutrient rich. You have fibre, amino acids, calcium, and minerals. Buckwheat is high in magnesium, which I’m learning more and more recently is a wonder vitamin. It’s a relaxant, for those with trouble sleeping taking a natural supplement before bed can help you relax and sleep better.

I’ve been eating this with coconut yoghurt, and rhubarb is my thing right now, so I’ve included the recipe for ginger roast rhubarb here too.  It’s very nice with nut milk too, or just snacked on straight out of the jar.

A couple of notes on the recipe. I used cashews and almonds because that’s what I had but hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans would be very nice.  After about 20 minutes you’ll want to carefully flip the granola, but don’t mix too much to keep it chunky as possible.

Tahini Choco Granola

150g rolled oats

150g quinoa flakes

200g buckwheat
65g coconut flakes
125g roughly chopped nuts
30g chia seeds
pinch sea salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon
35g coconut sugar
80ml  maple syrup
50ml melted coconut oil

50ml tahini
45 gram cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 175°C.

Combine the dry ingredients except the cocoa in a mixing bowl.

In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, melt coconut oil with the maple syrup, salt and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine until smooth. Pour liquid ingredients over dry and fold coat.

Spread mixture out in an even layer on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, gently flip/mix, then return it to the oven to bake for about another 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes until evenly toasted. You can tell the granola is ready by smell and by checking the nuts are cooked if they will be golden in the middle.

Ginger Roasted Rhubarb

400g rhubarb, rinsed and cut into inch pieces

1 inch ginger, grated

2 tablespoon maple syrup

Pre heat oven 180C.

Place the rhubarb on a lined baking tray in a single layer. Cover with the grated ginger and maple syrup. Bake for 10-12 minutes, the rhubarb should be tender but retaining it’s shape.

The rhubarb will keep for about a week in your fridge, store it in a glass container along with the juices and serve up with granola and yoghurt whenever needed.