Flakes and Raisins Cereal

I cannot follow a recipe even if I try.  I get this irresistible urge to make at least one minor tweak.  Actually just making one change is so rare for me it’s almost a record.  Often I substitute and modify until my end product doesn’t resemble the recipe at all, it just reflects my tastes.

Some modifications I make almost automatically, like…

doubling the cinnamon…there is never enough (or too much) cinnamon,

omitting garlic, because even though I know it is quintessential to so many dishes I just don’t really like it,

doubling the vanilla for the same reason as cinnamon,

adding fruit…everywhere…even in places it doesn’t belong.

It’s a good thing and a bad thing.  The downside is that I always modify to what I think I will prefer, which prevents me from trying something out of my ordinary.  I may miss the chance to expand my palette.  The upside is that it leads to lots of new recipe twists.

Now on to this delicious Raisin Bran wannabe.  A few months ago, I recreated One Lucky Duck’s Crispies cereal at home in my dehydrator.  In fact, that was the first recipe I made in my dehydrator the day it came.  I was really anxious to find a yummy raw cereal.  I used buckwheat, agave, lots of cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.  They were delicious, but the second time around I had to make some changes because I just can’t leave well enough alone.  So my goal was to make a batch that was sweetened only with fruit.  And it worked!  And I like these flakes even better than the first ones!

I suggest storing the flakes without the raisins and then mixing them in the bowl.  If you put them in the same container, the flakes will absorb the moisture from the raisins and become soft.  Unlike boxed flakes, these flakes don’t have that weird coating that makes them impervious to moisture and sogginess and staleness.

Flakes and Raisins Cereal

Makes 2-3 Cups

1 cup raw buckwheat groats

1 cup raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

A little bit of water to get the blender moving

More raisins for mixing with the finished flakes

1. Soak the raisins for at least an hour.
2. Soak the buckwheat for about the same time.
3. Drain and rinse the buckwheat.  Drain the raisins.
4. Add buckwheat, raisins, cinnamon, and salt to a blender of food processor, and blend until it forms a thick paste.  You may need to add a little water to get things moving.
5. Spread onto a lined dehydrator tray.
6. Dehydrate for 12 hours at 115 degrees.
7. Flip and dehydrate for another 6-8 hours.
8. Break apart into flakes, and dehydrate longer if they still aren’t crispy.
9. Add some raisins, pour on the almond milk, and you have breakfast.