DATE, OAT & ORANGE GRANOLA

There's usually not much variety in my breakfasts, as I rush out of the house most mornings at 4:45am and need to grab something really quickly from my kitchen. I've been experimenting with making my own granola and muesli recently on Sundays and here is my latest creation. I am what some would call seriously obsessed with Medjool dates and have recently been using them in most sweet creations. If you keep the quantity of fresh dates that you use low, you will keep the calorie count and the sugar content minimal. I love added quinoa flakes to granola & muesli, as well as buckwheat (which has no traces of wheat in it), chopped nuts and oats (which you can buy gluten-free if you have an intolerance). The orange zest and orange juice adds a beautiful flavour to this simple granola. Serve with a generous dollop of natural yoghurt or with 1/4- 1/3 cup of the milk of your choice. 

Ingredients

• 150g fresh Medjool dates, pitted & roughly chopped
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (225g)
• 45g raw buckwheat
• 50g quinoa flakes
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 15g chia seeds
• 50g cashews, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons orange zest, finely grated 
• the juice of 1 medium orange (around 70ml)

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan-force oven to 150 degrees celsius, then line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring well. 

3. Spread the granola in a single layer on the prepared tray. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, then remove and stir well, returning the granola to a single layer. Continue to bake for around 20 minutes, or until the granola is a light golden brown, repeating this stirring process every 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. 

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Serve topped with 1/4-1/3 cup almond, rice, oat milk. 

Makes / 8 servings
Total Preparation time / 20 minutes 
Total Cooking time / 30 minutes plus cooling time 
Approx calories / 263 per serving 

x Emily