What better way to welcome in Spring than with this sweet and tangy seasonal granola?! Rhubarb can be a curious ingredient to work with, but making a compote-like sauce seemed like a rad way of using the abundance of this seasonal sensation. I love the bright and tart flavour it brings to breakfast, but this chunky and satisfying granola also eats like a stellar snack by the handful! Feel free to substitute the almonds for any other nut or seed you have on hand – cashews, macadamias, sunflower seeds… would be delicious. Freeze-dried strawberries add a gorgeous colour and crunch to this mix, but if you can’t find them, just make sure to add some fresh strawberries to the bowl. I hope you enjoy celebrating Spring with this one!
Strawberry Rhubarb Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups / 375g chopped rhubarb + 3 Tbsp. water
- ½ cup / 125ml pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. fine grain sea salt
- ⅓ cup expeller-pressed coconut oil or ghee
- ¼ cup / 35g coconut sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup / 40g chia seeds
- 3 cups / 300g rolled oats gluten-free if necessary
- 1 cup / 200g buckwheat groats
- 1 ½ cups / 125g coconut flakes
- 1 cup /150g almonds
- 1 cup / 10g freeze dried strawberries optional, but delicious
Directions
- Combine the water, chopped rhubarb, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook covered for about 10 minutes. Once soft, remove from heat, stir in the coconut oil, coconut sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and stir to achieve a uniform liquid. Lastly, add the chia seeds, stir well to combine, and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- In a large bowl combine oats, buckwheat, and coconut flakes. Roughly chop almonds and add them to the mix.
- Pour liquid ingredients over dry and fold coat.
- Spread mixture out in an even layer on a lined baking sheet and press firmly with the back of a spatula to ensure that the mixture is compact. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip granola in large chunks, and place back in oven to bake for another 10 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes until toasted and fragrant, about 45-50 minutes total. Turn off the oven and allow to cool completely — this will result in a super-crunchy batch. Make sure to check on it though as it still can burn at the beginning of the cool-down process.
- Once cool, add the freeze dried strawberries, if using. Give it all a good toss to combine, then store in an airtight glass container for up to one month.
Notes
Makes 8 cups / 2 litres
*For freeze-dried fruit, try online!
