Savoury Italian Granola
Granola has featured on The Hungry Herbivores a lot! Usually I really hate making the same thing twice. Life is too short for eating the same thing over and over, since there are so many amazing foods and flavours in the world. Granola however, is my exception. In the past I have stuck to sweet, breakfast granolas like Almond Butter & Pumpkin Spice Granola or Goji Berry Granola, which make amazing breakfasts on the go. This time, I’ve gone for a savoury sort. Savoury granola garnish sounds a little pretentious, but it really is simple and a great addition to your meals – think of it as a crouton substitute. The crispy oat, pine nut and buckwheat topping packs some serious flavour that combines well with Italian salad and pasta dishes, like Creamy Beetroot and Dill Linguine or Maple Aubergine & Chickpea Salad.
One of the best things about granola is that it takes minimal effort and can be kept in jars or tubs for several weeks or months, that’s if you don’t eat it all in a few days. Granola is perfect to make in bulk, whether it is sweet or savoury.
I must confess, I have been munching on this granola just by itself. It’s a pretty healthy snack to say the least. It reminds me of an Italian version of the Indian Bombay Mix snacks I used to live off in Nepal. Instead of chickpeas and chili, its pine nuts and tomatoes.
I combined my savoury granola with a simple raw red cabbage and radish salad, dressed with lemon juice. Salad doesn’t have to be boring when you’ve spent 30 minutes making a load of delicious toppings to jazz it up, without sacrificing the healthiness!
Try out the recipe and let me how it goes in the comments!
- 2 cups GF oats
- 1 cup buckwheat groats
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 2½ tbsp. dried oregano
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt and black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1½ tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp truffle oil (optional)
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- Pre heat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4 and line one baking sheet
- Place the oats, buckwheat groats, pine nuts, dried oregano, nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic powder salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix together well.
- In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, balsamic, maple syrup, mustard and truffle oil. Pour this into the oat mixture and fold together until fully incorporate.
- Spread over the baking sheet - try not to layer the oat mixture too much. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove and gently toss in your sundried tomatoes. Let cook for another 7-8 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes until pouring into an air tight box or jar.