Crunchy, cinnamon-spiced granola with buckwheat, pumpkin seeds and chewy crystallised ginger. Perfect to be enjoyed with some fruit & vegan yogurt as a breakfast or morning snack, or serve up with some baked fruit and ice cream for a delicious dessert!
I love to have mine as a mid-morning snack with some yogurt and fresh fruit - even after a few hours it remains crunchy and delicious, thanks to the buckwheat! With a whole range of plant-based ingredients, this granola is full of wholegrains, fibre, protein, your daily ALA (short-chain omega 3), iron, magnesium, manganese and when paired with fruit and live vegan yogurt, will also give you a good helping of vitamin C, calcium and probiotics too [1]!
The more varied our diets - with plenty of different plant-based foods - the better for our microbiome. A 2018 study into gut health showed that eating 30 different plants a week significantly improved the health of the microbiome, with a greater diversity of bacteria present [2]. This recipe contains 7 of those 30, many of which are high-fibre ingredients; prebiotics, feeding the good bacteria in the gut. With all the fibre, protein and healthy fats, this also helps to lower your glucose reaction to the added sugar in the granola, for a slower release of energy and keeping you fuller for longer!
Why looking after our gut health matters is because of how closely linked our guts are to our overall health. Our gut bacteria not only aids our digestion of important nutrients, ensuring what we eat is processed and absorbed as we need to it to be, but it also helps with the prevention of inflammation and chronic diseases, keeps our immune system effective, supports our brain and mental health [3]. Our gut microbiota have a direct line of communication with the central nervous system - so stresses on digestion and gastrointestinal issues have been directly linked to causing mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Food sources of probiotics (live bacteria) have been shown to restore normal microbial balance (along with plenty of pre-biotics in fibre-rich foods) [4], so be sure to include plenty of probiotics in your diet, such as those from live (vegan) yogurts, sauerkraut, kimchi, brine ferments, fermented nut cheeses and fermented drinks like kombucha or water kefir.
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Cinnamon Crunch Granola | Yield: 6 cups, ~15-20 servings | Time: 20 mins
You'll need
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups & spoons
- 2x large baking trays
- Greaseproof paper (I use reusable)
- 2L jar / large air-tight container
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup buckwheat
- 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup chopped crystalised ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup agave or maple syrup
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 170°C fan and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper
- Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix together, then add the coconut oil and agave syrup and mix together with your hands until combined and no clumps of oil remain.
- Spread out in an even layer over the two lined baking trays and bake for 7-8 mins until golden.
- Allow to cool fully, then carefully transfer into a 2L jar or another airtight container.
- Enjoy with vegan yogurt and fruit as a breakfast or snack or with some baked fruit and ice cream as a dessert!
Sources
1. McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods
2. Gut Health - 30 plants a week
3. Gut Bacteria & Human Health
