Let me first start off by saying, I love ginger! …and granola for that matter. That’s why this granola flavour combo was always going to be a winner for me! I’ve been really lucky that i have such a fantastic health food store around the corner from my house and they sell activated nuts and seeds at such a reasonable price and in bulk! Although activated nuts are easy to make, buying activated nuts does save me a little time! Activated buckwheat or Buckini’s as they are also known, are perfect for gluten-free granola or muesli. Buckwheat is actually a seed and a highly nutritious one. It’s alkaline, high in magnesium, fibre, protein and flavanoids.
If you can’t find Activated buckwheat it’s easy to make your own if you have a couple of days to soak, sprout and dehydrate. Simply soak the buckwheat for 1/2 and hour in clean filtered water. To sprout them you will need either a nut milk bag or a sprouting jar. You can sprout for 2 days, rinsing twice a day with filtered water to prevent mould growth. The buckwheat should start to grow a little sprouted tail. Now, if you have a dehydrator, go ahead and dehydrate them or you could put them in the oven on the lowest temperature with the door open for a day or so until they are dried out. i haven’t tried this oven method but i’ve heard from others that it works fine.
Alternatively you could use oats or quinoa flakes which may be more readily available than activated buckwheat depending on where you’re located. This recipe is gluten free, but be sure to use oats that have not been made in a factory that uses wheat products. If you can’t find those but want to make this recipe 100% gluten-free just omit the oats use more buckwheat or quinoa flakes. Oats have such a comforting and nourishing aroma and they are really good for your nervous system. One of my favourite foods, they remind me of home.
When i first made this granola i used ginger powder and it was good, but when i made it with fresh ginger it really took it to the next level. So, if you have fresh ginger i recommend it but the ginger powder is still great. Also i’m not a huge sweet tooth so if you want to add an extra teaspoon or two of rice malt syrup i won’t hold it against you!
Since we know you love some eye candy, we made a quick little recipe video for you of this Ginger Granola Recipe, check it out!
Thought this would be a good time to talk about the benefits of ginger:
Digestion:
Ginger is a warming rhizome that eases nausea, stomach pain and digestion. It’s especially good for post operative nausea, nausea from chemotherapy and travel sickness. Ginger stimulates gastric juices and peristalsis and helps to relieve dyspepsia and flatulence.
Immunity:
Ginger is also great for the immune system and has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-parasidic and anti-inflammatory properties. So again great for travel, i take ginger tablets with me when i travel and they worked a treat last time i was in New Zealand and caught a bug. After taking the ginger tablets the nausea thankfully reduced and i didn’t miss out on our day of snow boarding!
Reduces Fever:
In China the main use for ginger is to treat fever and coughs. Ginger has diaphoretic properties that cause perspiration to help reduce fever.
Cardiovascular health:
Ginger increases circulation which is great if you are a cold person like me. Ginger acts to improve heart health through these actions: as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, lowers blood pressure and it also thins blood so if you are on warfarin or having surgeory use ginger with caution.
Pain relief:
Ginger has shown to reduce pain from muscle soreness, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis much like pharmaceutical drugs cortisol and other anti-inflammatories. Perfect for all you athletes! I thought this was interesting:
“Ginger, blocks the formation of the inflammatory compounds–prostaglandins and leukotrienes–and also has antioxidant effects that break down existing inflammation and acidity in the fluid within the joints.”
Antioxidant:
The antioxidant properties in ginger may be effective against cancer and tumour growth. Super rhizome!
Read more here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/, http://www.naturalnews.com/029986_ginger_muscle_pain.html, http://www.care2.com/greenliving/study-ginger-better-than-drugs-for-pain.html#ixzz2zaXL041O, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/
Ginger + Vanilla granola
What you need:
- 3-4 heaped tsp fresh ginger or 3 heaped tsp of ginger powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups activated buckwheat
- 2 cups oats
- ½ cup pepitas
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 1 cup almonds
- ½ cup cashews
- ½ cup coconut
- orange zest ½ tsp (optional)
- 3 vanilla beans or 2 tsp vanilla essence/powder
- 2 ½ tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons rice malt syrup, maple syrup or honey (more if desired)
What to do:
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius
- Grate 3 tsp of fresh ginger or 3 heaped tsp of the powder if you’re using powder (and ½ tsp orange zest if using) and remove the vanilla from the inside of the pods by slicing the pods down the middle and using your knife to scrape the vanilla out
- In a large bowl add everything accept the coconut oil and rice malt syrup and mix well
- I added the coconut oil and rice malt syrup in 2 steps to ensure it mixed through well. In a small pot melt your coconut oil and pour half over the bowl, add half the rice malt syrup and mix well
- Now add the rest of the coconut oil and rice malt syrup and mix well again
- On a baking tray lined with bleach free baking paper transfer the granola to the tray and flatten
- Let toast in oven for 30mins or until golden, stirring once to ensure they cook evenly
- Leave to cool for 20-30mins
- Serve with fresh figs and nut mik (see recipe here for nut milk)
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