I love making my own granola to eat for breakfast or as a snack. It’s super simple and fun to play around with different flavour combinations.

That’s also what’s so great about a recipe like this – you can customise it to your taste.

Don’t like pistachios? Substitute for another nut of your choosing. Can’t eat nuts? Substitute with seeds. Hate the taste of cardamom? Leave it out.

Go on! Get creative!

Pistachio, Cacao Nib, and Buckwheat Granola
Makes approximately 7.5 cups

Adapted from My New Roots Simple Gourmet Granola and Chunky Chocolate Buckwheat Granola

Ingredients
300g rolled oats
200g buckwheat
70g coconut flakes
190g raw pistachios
70g coconut oil
113g coconut nectar
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of fine pink Himalayan salt
70g cacao nibs

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 175°C (165°C fan-forced).
2. In a large bowl combine oats, buckwheat, coconut flakes, and pistachios.
3. In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, melt coconut oil. Remove from heat and add coconut nectar, spices, vanilla, and salt. Whisk to combine.
4. Pour liquid ingredients over dry and mix til dry ingredients are coated.
5. At this point you can have a taste and adjust to your liking.
6. Spread mixture out in an even layer on a lined shallow baking tray and press firmly with the back of a spatula to ensure that the mixture is compact. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip granola in large chunks, and place back in oven to bake for another 9 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes until toasted and fragrant.
7. Once cool add cacao nibs and store in an air-tight container.

Nutritional Info
Per 100g: 53g carbs ◊ 12g sugar ◊ 25g fat ◊ 11g protein ◊ 10g fibre

Serving Suggestions
◊ Eat as is for breakfast or a snack
◊ Add a dollop of good quality yoghurt and/or a handful of fresh berries
◊ Serve over chia gel (1/2-1 tbsp chia seeds soaked in approx. 3 tbsp water or your choice of milk, e.g. cows, almond, coconut) with raw apple cut into matchsticks
◊ Sprinkle over fruit salad or cooked fruit

Nutritional Fun Facts

◊ Oats are rich in minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron, and selenium. They are also an excellent source of soluble fibre beta-glucan that helps to lower cholesterol levels^1,2

◊ Buckwheat is a good source of magnesium, fibre, and high quality protein (it contains all eight essential amino acids). It also contains rutin and quercetin which act as antioxidants and promote good health¹

◊ Pistachios are an excellent source of heart-healthy fats, protein and fibre helping to keep you fuller for longer. Pistachios are also rich in minerals such as magnesium and potassium which help protect against high blood pressure¹

◊ Cacao nibs are rich in flavonoids (especially proanthocyanidins) that have an antioxidant effect and help to promote good health¹

References
1. Murray, M., Pizzorno, J. & Pizzorno, L. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. (Index Books Ltd, 2007)
2. Sadiq Butt, M., Tahir-Nadeem, M., Khan, M. K. I., Shabir, R. & Butt, M. S. Oat: unique among the cereals. Eur. J. Nutr. 47, 68–79 (2008)