Cinnamon Buckwheat Pecan Granola

Granola is one of life's simple pleasures. From the smell that fills the kitchen when it's cooking, to the cacophony of crunches as you eat it, to the heavenly taste of toasted titbits, it's a treat to every sense in the body - and it's so simple to make too. 
Of course, it's a danger to have around my house, seeing as my father appears to be a descendant of this little guy:

Unfortunately, ordinary almonds are not as evasive as Scrat's adored acorn, and the nut count of my granola tends to diminish at a disproportionate rate. Leaving it to cool is the most treacherous part of the process. No nut is safe. I'm even considering calling in Rodent Control to help me contain this problem. 

This is my favourite recipe at the moment - I love the texture added by the buckwheat and I'm a tad obsessed with wrinkly ole pecans. Feel free to use whatever nuts you like though - cashews and walnuts also taste great in this recipe!

Ingredients
300g oats (use gluten-free ones if you wish)
150g buckwheat groats
50g desiccated coconut
100g pecans
100g whole almonds
100g flaked almonds
100g pumpkin and sunflower seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp honey/maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g cranberries or sultanas
50g goji berries

Method
1. Put the oats, buckwheat, coconut, nuts, seeds and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and mix together.

2. Melt the coconut oil and honey together in the microwave. Add to the mixing bowl along with the vanilla extract and mix well.

3. Spread the granola on a baking tray and bake at 150 degrees for 15-20 minutes, turning regularly to ensure it toasts evenly.

4. Remove from oven and add the cranberries and goji berries. Allow to cool (under a watchful eye, if you too have a Scrat infestation in your house ;) )

Enjoy for breakfast with banana and almond milk, as a mid-day snack or even as dessert with some fruit, cacao nibs and coconut yogurt :) 

Wholemeal Oat Banana Bread

If the thought of a warm slice of banana bread and a cup of tea doesn't summon saliva to your mouth or make your stomach dance with desire, then you should probably get that checked out. :P

Banana bread is a much-loved tea time treat, and is often viewed as a healthy opinion (eh, it's got fruit in it like, so obviously it's not bad for you? Obviously.). This can be the case, but some recipes do contain a lot of sugar and butter - so this is my version of a healthier banana bread, which is sugar and butter-free. If you want to make it vegan, omit the egg and reduce the flour to one cup, and substitute the honey for agave syrup. 
It won't rise as much as a regular loaf of banana bread, but it's got a really nice texture due to the oats and dessicated coconut (which I am currently having trouble leaving out of any recipe I make. Scones? Chuck it in. Cookies? Chuck it in. Thai curry? Sprinkle a bit on top. Shepherd's pie? Must..not..reach for coconut...)

So quit monkeying about, and whip up a loaf of this pure joy :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour - I use wholemeal or spelt
1 cup oats
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/3 cup honey (or agave)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, mashed
Pumpkin or sunflower seeds to sprinkle on top
Optional - walnuts, dark chocolate chips, raisins


Method

1. Line a loaf tin with baking paper. Preheat your oven to 150 degree C. 

2. Place flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, dessicated coconut and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and mix together.

3. Place the coconut oil in a bowl with the honey and vanilla extract and melt in the microwave on a low heat, stirring regularly.

4. Add this, along with the mashed bananas and egg, to the dry ingredients and stir together until fully combined. If using any of the optional ingredients, stir them in once the mix is combined.

5. Pour into your loaf tin. Smooth the top with the back of a tablespoon and sprinkle some your seeds on top, pressing them in lightly to make sure they stick.

6. Bake for 50-55 mins or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

7. Enjoy! :) This tastes delicious with almond butter on top, or serve with some yogurt and berries as a healthy after-dinner treat. If you are worried about it going stale, slice half the loaf and freeze it. You can just take slices out as you want them and pop them in the toaster!

spelt for choice :-)

I headed down to Athlone this weekend to visit my parents and avail of some lovely home comforts - the fireplace, the fridge, the fully-functioning shower.. One of my favourite things to do at home though is to take advantage of my mother's well-stocked cupboards and proper kitchen equipment - things our student house is definitely lacking - to bake and cook!

I'd planned on making coconut scones this weekend, after tasting a delicious one in Le Petit Parisien during the week. When I opened the press to get out my ingredients, an unfamiliar bag caught my eye. Wholewheat spelt flour. Hmm. I'd heard of spelt flour but had never used it in baking before. So I decided to experiment!

This is the flour I used - available in Holland and Barrett for €3.99!

I didn't have a recipe for these, so I was a bit nervy about how they'd turn out - but they got a warm reception from my trusted tasters :) Using frozen fruit does means they don't rise as much as other scones, so just have your oven really hot and don't have your mix too wet. 

Wholewheat spelt coconut and raspberry scones

Slurp.

Ingredients
- 200g wholewheat spelt flour
- 140g self-raising flour (***originally I said white flour and 1 tsp baking powder, but after further experimenting, I decided self-raising is the way to go!)
- pinch of salt
- 50g caster sugar
- 50g dessicated coconut
- 150g butter (I use Flora)
- a handful of frozen raspberries (or fresh blueberries)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 120ml buttermilk

Method
1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Sift your flours and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut.
2. Stir in the sugar.
3. Add in the butter and using your fingertips, rub it into the flour until the mix resembles dry breadcrumbs. As always, handle as little as possible!
4. Add the raspberries
5. Pour in the buttermilk and egg, retaining a little bit of the mix for a glaze. 
6. Bring everything together with your hand.
7. Flour a work surface. Turn the mixture out onto your surface and roll it out to a 4-5cm thickness. Using a scone cutter, cut out your scones and place on a floured baking tray. Brush the tops with your remaining egg-mix.
8. Bake for 15-20mins, until golden-brown.