
This granola is packed with nuts and seeds which have a lot of protein and healthy, necessary fats. Chia seeds are great because they have a lot of protein, fiber, and antioxidants... great for digestion. Pairing the granola with the chia pudding is not only delicious but nutritious too!
You can take it one step further and make your own nut milk. I was always intimidated by the process until I actually sat down and read a recipe. So easy. You soak your nuts overnight, strain them, toss them in a blender with water, vanilla, cinnamon, and a sweetener and blend. Strain through cheese cloth or a nut milk bag, and poof! You'll have homemade nut milk without any preservatives or weird chemicals and it ends up being less expensive than store bought stuff. (and I bet you can make it faster than getting into your car, going to Sobeys, standing in line, paying, and coming home again!).
Big thanks to vegan chef Lauren Marshall for these amazing recipes!
Breakfasts
Buckwheat Granola
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup wheat free oats
- 1 cup buckwheat groats (can get these at Bulk Barn)
- ½ cup chopped almonds (can use other nuts.. walnuts, pecans, cashews)
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup chopped raisins (or dried cranberry, apricot, blueberries etc)
- ½ cup chopped, pitted dates
Directions:
- Mix everything together expect the dried fruit and dates.
- Spread evenly on parchment paper lined baking tray
- Bake at 300F for 30 minutes or until golden. Stir every 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and mix in dried fruit
- Serve over chia pudding or yogurt (if not vegan)
Chia Pudding
Ingredients:
- 2 cups plain almond milk (or rice milk, soy milk, hemp milk etc)
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 1 inch piece of lemon rind
- Sweetener to taste (maple syrup or honey or stevia)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
Directions:
- Combine milk, cinnamon stick, lemon rind into a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes
- Strain the mixture, sweeten to desired taste
- Mix in chia seeds and let sit for 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes to combine
Dr. Wood’s Lazy Chia pudding
- Combine 2 cups Vanilla flavoured almond or rice milk with 4 tbsp chia seeds in a mason jar
- Add a pinch of cinnamon
- Screw on lid tightly and shake every 10 minutes until desired texture.
Nut Mylk
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw shelled hemp seeds, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts or a mixture of these – soaked for 2-24 hours
- 3.5 cups water
- 4 pitted dates, soaked
- ½ tsp natural vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or butter (optional for a richer tasting mylk)
- pinch of sea salt
Directions:
- After nuts and dates have soaked for at least 2 hours, drain
- Place nuts and dates into blender with the rest of the ingredients
- Blend on high for 30-60 seconds (depending on blender
- Using a nut mylk bag, or cheese cloth, strain by placing the nut mylk bag or cheese cloth over a large glass container, jar, or jug. Pour the mylk into the cloth and squeeze it like milking a cow until all of the liquid is out.
- Keep in sealed glass jar in fridge for up to 3 days.
- The pulp can be saved/frozen to add to cookies or granola