QUINOA GRANOLA
First of all, can I just say, welcome summer!!! You’ve arrived at last :))
This is actually not really a summer post, which is a shame but when I started planning the post it wasn’t really what I’d call summer. So instead we have my first granola post!
I’ve been making a lot more gluten free recipes lately and I’m getting really into it. One of these recipes has been a granola recipe. I’m a bit of newbie to the granola love but I’m discovering making my own is definitely the way to go! It’s so delicious and versatile, you can add all the things that you like instead of what someone else thought up and put in a bag for you. What could be better than that?!
For me, I don’t like things too sweet, I like lots of nuts and seeds and chunky bits and hidden things for some extra nutrition. So making my own granola really makes sense. It’s SO much better than anything you’ll buy and is SO simple! True, you need a few ingredients, and it’s not initially cheap to buy all these ingredients, but then you have them, and you can make granola all the time! And trust me, you won’t look back when you’ve made it once.
This stuff is just so addictive, I find myself mostly eating it straight from the jar, or take it with me to snack around town. Another really tasty way of eating it is with Greek yoghurt*, fruit compote , and a sprinkle of bee pollen. Yum!
So here’s the recipe, you can adjust the sweetness, you can add the nuts you like, seeds, subtract the coconut flakes or put more berries. It’s versatile, you can personalise this how YOU like it. Which is part of what makes it so good!
So try this recipe once, and then experiment!
Quinoa Granola
250g quinoa flakes
150g nuts of choice, I used mixed
150g seeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds
50g buckwheat
150g maple syrup
50g coconut oil
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1tsp. vanilla extract
100g coconut flakes
50g chia seeds
50g goji berries
Preheat over 170C.
In a large bowl, mix together your quinoa flakes. Lightly crush your nuts, but keep them quite chunky. Add to the quinoa, your seeds, buckwheat, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix together with your hands making sure everything is coated with the coconut and maple syrup.
Spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 10 minutes. At this point take the baking tray out of the oven. Add your coconut flakes, mix and. cook for another 10 minutes until your ingredients are a healthy brown colour, delicious and toasted. Mix through the chia seeds and goji berries. Let cool and serve with whatever takes your fancy, or munch on as a snack.
*I prefer Greek yoghurt to all these new wave of yoghurts, soy yoghurt, coconut yoghurt etc. Greek yoghurt has been around for many years, it’s a fermented food which are so very good for you and should still be celebrated as a healthy food. Unless you lactose intolerant I would stick with the tried and tested version of yoghurt, a more processed yoghurt such as soy. Or try nut milk, which is a nutritious, dairy free way to enjoy milk. Making your own is the best option but failing that buy unsweetened and control the sweet you add yourself.