Buckwheat and Quinoa Granola

Good evening, all! It's a Monday, it's late, it's a tad cold, and I think that what we could all use right now is a warm blanket and a good story. I was going to tell you a story from work today, but that's lame, so instead I will tell you a story that I was reminded of while spiritedly rehashing stories to a buddy of mine about the flights I took during my terms abroad. It fits in nicely with today's recipe, so I figured you'd enjoy it!

So... I'm terrified of flying. Err, well, I'm getting better... but a few years back, it was a crippling fear that I had to f-cking gut through every time I headed overseas, which invariably left me exhausted by the time the plane landed. If you've ever flown into Lukla, Nepal, you know what I'm talking about. The runway is on a slope. That's right, a slope. Just knowing this fact rendered me terrified before I even saw the plane, which was a run-down twin-otter with benches and communal seatbelts (uhm, huh??). There is a glorious picture of me somewhere mentally urinating myself. Upon sitting down, however, my luck hit an all-time low when the bench leg snapped and I went tumbling to the ground. The pilot swung his head around, chuckled and handed me a roll of duct tape. A few minutes later we were in the air. I was as white as a sheet. My seatbelt buddy felt bad for me, and was trying to brighten my mood with granola that she had brought from home and a mars bar. It sort of worked, until we landed with a "WHAM!" on the runway, breaking my bench leg again and launching me into the aisle, only to be pinned by my bag and seatbelt buddy. One of the friends who I was climbing with bought me a "feel better' drink. Beer has never tasted so good.

I wrote last time about the amount of food that I need to eat in any given day. It's absurd, really it is. A few years back now, leading up to a 5 month-long high altitude climbing tour I took in central Asia, I was in full-time training while trying to balance full-time school and near full-time work. I went to see a nutritionist to make sure that I was eating enough to carry me through the training regime. She put me on 5000 calories per day, as my natural metabolism was absurd and I had about 35-40 hours of training per week. Do you know what eating 5000 calories a day is like? It's a bloody chore! Particularly when you can't load up on either dairy or bread because you're allergic to it. My professors used to get so upset with me when I would sit down, break open my food pack (yes, I had a food pack) and pull various containers out, munching away through the entirety of the class.

Well, now that I'm back in training, the hunger pains are back. I'm eating constantly. Not quite at the 5000 calories per day, but my weekly diet could supply the bomb-shelter survival rations for a family of 5. How many calories are in SPAM? In an effort to not eat 24 hours per day, I wanted to make a great snack that had a ton of calories that I wouldn't get sick of. Granola usually fits the bill for most outdoor-minded folks, but I was looking for something gluten-free and high in protein. "Quinoa! No, Buckwheat!" I thought to myself. I couldn't decide on a particular grain, so I used both. Thus, I created this kick-ass little gluten-free granola recipe.


Buckwheat and Quinoa Granola
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups coarse buckwheat flour
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
3/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup coconut oil (most oils should work alright, but the coconut is a nice compliment to the cinnamon. If you're using something along the lines of olive oil or sunflower oil, consider bumping up the volume to 1/3 cup).
1/2 cup golden raisins


1. In a large mixing bowl, combine uncooked quinoa, coarse buckwheat flour, flax seeds, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon and allspice.

2. Add agave nectar and coconut oil to the mixture that looks remarkably like birdseed. Mix well.

3. Spread mixture out over two baking sheets. Press down firmly on the granola with the back of a wooden spoon until firm. Bake at 375 C for 8-10 minutes.

4. Retrieve granola from the oven. Add golden raisins, and mix into granola. Pat the granola down again and allow to cool completely. Allowing the mixture to cool will harden the granola.

5. Consume.


For those keeping score, this recipe is vegan, on top of the gluten-free nature of the grains I've used. Obviously, there is no yeast (.... bloody yeast...). No dairy, either! Hurray! I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but I don't actually have any gluten issues, I just avoid it to be health-conscious and because the occasional beer that I have is bad enough for me as it is (grrr... bloody yeast...). But, it's just so damn good.

I'm hoping that next time I post I will be able to include a story from some kind of mini-adventure outside. I miss outside. We've had quite the cold snap, and it's been tricky to get outside to do anything substantial lately. When I do head out for a dog walk or a quick jaunt, it looks like this...

Notice those wicked Mukluks? Best thing I've ever purchased. Those sassy Mukluks to the left are mine, you can tell by the fitted, plaid hard-shell pants. Of course I have fitted, plaid hard-shell pants. It may also look like this...

Check out the amount of ice on my collar and the cold-induced uber-grimace which was actually my attempt at a toothy grin. I think it was -31 C here, more or less. The day before, we hit -42 C. That's scotch and Battlestar weather if you ask me.

Alright kids, I'm officially pooped and heading to bed. It's a balmy -32 C this evening (Though, it could be -42 C again), so I think I am going to kidnap the cat and use him as a space heater. Wish me luck. Have yourselves a great night!