Raw Sprouted Buckwheat Granola

My cats are peculiar creatures.  One minute they will be trying to kill each other and the next minute they will be grooming one another and snuggling.  One of them is never more than two feet away from a human presence while the other one is never more than two feet away from his food bowl. One of them loves laying in the middle of the living room and being an inconvenience to anyone trying to walk.  The other one?  Oh, he's probably hiding in the towel drawer in the kitchen while on his mission to cover ever single one of my clean towels with cat hair.  Mission accomplished, kitty.

One of my cats is also a plastic bag licker. Do you know what I am talking about?  He is absolutely obsessed with licking plastic bags.  It has given me even more motivation to make sure that we cut down on our plastic bag usage.

Last week his licking became a new phenomenon.  I brought home some DVDs from the library and he pushed through the stack and licked every single one.  After observing this, my other cat decided to do the same thing.  And now, anytime a DVD enters the house, both of my cats will have a licking war over it.  If you have recently checked out DaVinci Code, Charlie's Angels, or Modern Family from the Seattle Public Library, you have probably touched my cats' saliva.  I am so, so sorry.

Earlier this week I pulled out my dehydrator from the cupboard that it's been sitting in since we moved into our apartment almost two years ago. Luckily my cats didn't lick it.  But they sure did hate the sound of it.  Well, until they realized that the top was warm and would be the perfect place to take a nap.  Take note: you don't need two crazy cats, plastic bags, or DVDs to make this granola, but you will need a dehydrator.

We'll start with soaking our buckwheat in water overnight to prepare it for sprouting.

(And yes, you can bet that my cat licked the outside of this plastic bag.)



Buckwheat, contrary to its name, is gluten-free and does not contain any wheat.  Buckwheat stabilizes blood sugar, strengthens the kidneys, is rich in vitamin E and B vitamins, and is very filling.  Buckwheat that has been roasted is known as kasha and will have a deep amber color.  Since this buckwheat will be sprouted, make sure you use raw buckwheat and not kasha.



After soaking the buckwheat overnight, drain the water and rinse it thoroughly.  Buckwheat gets slimy as it sits so rinse it until it is no longer slimy. Let it drain well and then let it sit out at room temperature to sprout for 2 days, rinsing it every 4 - 8 hours or so.  At the end of two days, your buckwheat will have little tails and will be ready for the dehydrator.

(Note: some readers have asked about the dehydrator I use. I have a 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator that I bought three years ago and absolutely love. It's the perfect size for making large batches of this cereal at once.)

It will need about 6 - 8 hours at 115 degrees F to dehydrate and then will be crispy and crunchy.  Then mix with your other ingredients like nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and/or fresh fruit.  And serve with your favorite milk!

Raw Sprouted Buckwheat Granola
Yield: 6 cups

2 cups raw buckwheat (not kasha)
Water for soaking and rinsing
1 cup chopped nuts or seeds (pumpkin seds, almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc)
3/4 cup dried fruit (goji berries, raisins, unsweetened cherries, etc)


Soak the buckwheat overnight, drain the water and rinse it thoroughly.  (Buckwheat gets slimy as it sits so rinse it until it is no longer slimy.) Let it drain well and then let it sit out at room temperature to sprout for 2 days, rinsing it (and draining well) every 4 - 8 hours or so.  At the end of two days, your buckwheat will have little tails and will be ready for the dehydrator.

Lay buckwheat flat in a single layer on a dehydrator tray with a Teflex/ParraFlex sheet on top.  Dehydrate buckwheat in dehydrator at 115 degrees F for about 6 - 8 hours, until crispy. 

Once dried, mix buckwheat with your other ingredients like nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.  Enjoy with your favorite nut milk.