Raw Buckwheat Granola with Homemade Vanilla Hemp Milk

This weekend, I spent Saturday morning with a friend who I haven’t seen in ages. We went for a lovely walk at Lincoln Park along the water and then stopped in at Chaco Canyon Café in West Seattle on our way home for a little brunch. I’ve been doing a juice fast and/or eating only raw foods for the past couple of weeks, so Chaco Canyon was perfect. I got the Rawnola (raw buckwheat groats with walnuts, shaved coconut, dried apples, dried apricots and housemade hemp milk). It was delicious and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since Saturday.

I happened to have some raw buckwheat groats and some hemp seeds lying around, so I experimented this morning and whipped up a little mid-morning snack. It was pretty darn close to Chaco Canyon’s, but I improvised with the add-ins I had around the house. You can do the same by putting all of your favorite nuts, seeds, dried or fresh fruit in it.

This is a great raw, high protein, nutrient-dense meal and a small bowl is extremely filling. How often do you find that you have really completely chewed your food? I am typically a very fast eater and I’ve been trying to be more mindful lately of really chewing each bite thoroughly and setting my utensil down in between bites. Much better for digestion. This is an excellent meal to practice chewing more mindfully because there are many different textures in this dish and the buckwheat is exceptionally chewy.

I have always been intimidated to make my own nut/seed milks at home. I imagine nut milk bags, straining, etc. Just a lot of effort and mess. But I poked around on the internet to see how to make hemp milk and it looked so ridiculously easy I had to try it. Some recipes suggested straining it after, but I found I didn’t mind it the way it is. The proportions/ingredients below are what I used.

Hemp milk

Makes about 2 cups

2 cups water

1/2 cup raw shelled hemp seeds (I used Manitoba Harvest brand)

2-3 dates (I used 3)

1/2 tsp vanilla

In a blender, combine all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for no more than a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Granola

Serves 1

1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats

3 Tbls raw coconut flakes

1 1/2 Tbls raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 Tbls raw walnuts

1/2 nectarine chopped into pieces

tiny pinch of cinnamon and ground ginger

Stir the buckwheat groats and spices in a bowl to evenly distribute the spices. Add your add-ins (the ones above or whatever tickles your fancy). Pour fresh hemp milk on top and enjoy! Gluten-free, vegan, and raw!

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