Buckwheat and chia porridge with fig, vanilla and honey

Serves 4

You can make this at the start of week to have for your breakfast, and you can eat it hot or cold. This is a no cook breakfast. Buckwheat does not need a very long soak which is great!

Buckwheat is a seed related to rhubarb. It comes from a flowering plant, and is grain and gluten free. Buckwheat contains phytochemicals such as; quercetin which is anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory There is also rutin which is also an antioxidant. Rutin also strengthens the capillaries and circulation.

Ingredients

1 cup of raw buckwheat

¼ cup of seeds, I used pumpkin and sunflower seeds

4 tbsp chia seeds

4 dried figs, finely sliced

1 tsp cinnamon/1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp honey

450ml your favourite milk or milk alternative

Method

Soak the buckwheat and pumpkin/sunflower seeds in water. Leave for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight. I soaked for 1 hour.

Drain and rinse well then put 2/3 of the mix in a food processor with your honey and vanilla and blitz for a few seconds, you don’t want it heaps smooth- you want it like oatmeal. Take out and mix with your remaining buckwheat mix, add your chia seeds, milk and figs. Stir well. Then put in the fridge and eat during the week. You can serve hot or cold with extra milk, cream or coconut cream.

 

Gluten free/grain/dairy/nut free muesli bars

Perfect for your child's lunchbox or for your snack, the chocolate drizzle gives it a yummy optional extra

 

For nut free use a seed mix only, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, chia, flaxseeds, hemp and use avocado or light olive oil.

For dairy free do not use butter and use dairy free chocolate

Ingredients

½ cup of dates, tightly packed (100g)

¼ cup of other dried fruit, raisins, apricots, craisens, figs etc

1 ¼ cup of all sorted nuts and seeds, I have used coconut, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts-use all seeds if nut free

2 tbsp macadamia oil, you can use coconut oil or butter depending on the intolerance

1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 180C

Line a 20 x 20cm baking tin with baking paper, leaving some overhanging so you can lift it out.

In a food processor blitz everything, except the egg until it is mostly all fine. Add your egg a do a couple of pulses until combined.

Press into your tin and bake for 8-10 minutes, should be a little firm.

Leave for 5 minutes and lift out of the tin and cut in half, then cut each half into 5 so you have 10 fingers.

As an option (when the bars have cooled) you can drizzle chocolate over. This is 40g chocolate, melted then put in a little glad snap lock plastic bag (you can use a piping bag as well) snip a tiny piece off the corner then drizzle over the chocolate.