I have always had this thing for granola. I love it! Why, oh why does it have to have like a zillion calories, tons of fat and sugar that surpasses a few pieces of cake? I seriously don’t get it.
Anyways, I made granola a long time ago and it did not compare to that stuff from the store…in a bad way. It is not often that I claim store bought goodies are better, but in this case, I have to surrender. I hated it. It was soft. Seriously? I did something wrong there, but let me tell you, there is nothing more disappointing when you make a batch of granola to bite down on something soft and chewy. UGH.
The other thing I didn’t like about it was that it was too cinnamon-y. Is that a word? Well, on this blog, anything goes (obviously…I mean did you see my picture for my Cheesy Tomato Artichoke Chicken?). So today, I proclaim that the granola I made back then was way too cinnamon-y…and of course, I just cannot get past the soft part, so here I am mentioning it again. UGH.
So…it has taken me almost 10 years to get back in the saddle again and test out some more granola. Tragic huh? Luckily this time my result was a crunchy, flavorful, not too cinnamon-y…did I say crunchy? granola. It was so good. The best part? EASY. The quinoa does not even have to be cooked! Pretty much you just throw most of these ingredients together, bake, let cool and toss in a few more ingredients. Better yet? Much better for you than the store bought brands, and did I mention the quinoa gives it an unbelievable crunch? Not to mention a nice protein boost. Leave out the chocolate chips and have it for breakfast, or pack it along for a midday snack. It is sure to satisfy with every crunchy bite.
Crunchy Granola
3/4 cup quinoa
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (NOT quick oats)
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup cashew pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tblsp honey
1 tblsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup dried tart cherries
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse quinoa well and squeeze all excess water out. Pat dry with a paper towel. Mix quinoa, oats, almonds, and cashews together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon, applesauce, honey, canola oil and vanilla.
Pour into oat mixture and toss until completely coated. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour granola onto baking sheet making sure it is spread out and not clumped together.
It should be in a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes stirring every ten minutes. It should be golden brown and toasted. If edges start to darken, take out of the oven. Cool completely. Toss with cherries and dark chocolate.
Store into a sealed container for up to a week.
*Feel free to play around with this recipe: walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds would all be great. You can substitute cherries with raisins, cranberries or any dried fruit.
Have fun making your own combinations and enjoy!
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