Savoury Buckwheat Granola

Nov 08, 2019Healthy Eating

Say hello to your salad’s new best friend. This jar of mustardy granola has become a total game-changer in our kitchen. And if you are like us and often mix leftovers into quick salad bowls, you are soon going to realize its potential. The granola has the most delicious flavour and adds a superb crunch to all types of salads. We don’t see this as a salad topping but instead a filler that you can use instead of cooking a batch of rice, quinoa or millet or whatever you normally use to make something simple and green into a more substantial meal. The granola is also great with soups (perfect for gazpacho!) and on top of grilled feta cheese or on a savory yogurt bowl. There are doubtless lots of other uses that we haven’t tried yet, but we surely will during the summer.

Savory granola might not be an entirely new concept, but it is a great one. And this recipe is a real winner with tones of mustard, orange zest, thyme and rosemary. It also has an incredible crunch from buckwheat groats, nuts, seeds, rolled rye and oats. So give yourself 10 minutes to mix the ingredients together, shove it in the oven and then use it on almost anything. You can thank us later

To help you get started, we are also sharing a quick little baked feta cheese recipe and a crunchy green salad which both are optimal paired with the granola. The feta cheese is almost too simple. Bake a block of feta cheese for 10 minutes on 200°C / 400°F, then switch up the temperature to max and turn on the broiler for just a few minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, fresh herbs and a generous sprinkle of savoury granola. We usually serve the cheese as a side dish to share on the table. An extra drizzle of honey will make it even more special.

The salad is a bit of a mash-up between a salad and a slaw. Thinly sliced vegetables and pears are mixed with lettuce, drizzled with a yogurt dressing and then covered in granola. Win!

Savoury Granola – Salad’s Best Friend

Makes 4 cups / 1 litre

You can of course add or replace any of the seeds, nuts or flakes with what you have in your pantry. If you are looking for a slightly lighter granola you can replace some of the oil with water. Dry spices could also be added instead of the fresh herbs.

Dressing:

1/2 cup / 125 ml olive oil

2 tbsp grainy mustard

1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)

zest from 1 orange

1-2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme (leaves only)

1-2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (leaves only)

salt and pepper

Dry ingredients:

1 cup / 100 g rolled rye flakes (or just oats, if you are sensitive to gluten)

1 cup / 100 g rolled oats

1/2 cup buckwheat groats

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl. Use you hands or a spatula to toss the dry ingredients in the dressing until all is coated. Bake for about 20 minutes or until crunchy and golden, stirring the granola halfway through to prevent it from burning. We usually add some extra herbs after it is baked but this is of course optional. Store in an air-tight jar in room temperature for up to 4 weeks.

Fennel and Pear Salad with yogurt dressing
Serves 4

1 butter lettuce, leaves gently torn

1 cucumber, sliced into rounds

1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced

1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 romanesco or broccoli, thinly sliced

2 pears, thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

Yogurt dressing

3/4 cup / 20o ml yogurt

10 basil leaves, finely chopped

1/2 lemon, juice

a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper

Prepare all the salad ingredients and place them in a large salad bowl. It’s easiest to use a mandolin to get thin slices. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Stir together the yogurt dressing in a small bowl. Serve the salad on 4 plates, drizzle with yogurt and top with a generous scoop of granola.