DIY Quinoa & Oat Granola

Okay, firstly I know that 'Quinoa & Oat Granola' does not sound particularly appetizing, but I'm not particularly creative and it's all I could come up with, without making a really long name like 'Quinoa, Oat, Cranberry, Date and Maple Granola', or without lying. 
Anyway, I digress, does anyone else seem to get crazy hungry at like 10 am in the morning, only to realise that, alas, lunch is still at least 2 hours away! No longwer do you need to struggle on with those hunger pangs and distracted thoughts, because my granola is super filling, super healthy, super crunchy and super yummy! 
I have been looking for an alternative to your basic fruit and yoghurt, or porridge, or bircher muesli for a while now. Don't get me wrong I freaking love all of the above but I was looking for something different, something you can't buy, but takes 2 seconds to prepare. After scouting the internet and various recipe books I decided that I would have to make my own recipe, merge all the great ideas I had found to create one spectacularly awesome cereal.
Here's what's in it...  
 

Ingredients 

Dry -

1 cup quinoa (rinsed and drained thoroughly)
2 cup rolled oats (not quick oats, the real ones)
0.5 cup shredded coconut (or desiccated)
0.75 cup flaked/slivered almonds
0.5 cup seed mix (sesame, linseed, poppy, sunflower)
0.5 cup chia seed
0.25 cup pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
sprinkle mixed spice
sprinkle powdered ginger

Wet -

4 tbsp maple syrup (real maple syrup)
2 tbsp water
cap vanilla extract

Extra -

drizzle honey
0.5 cup chopped dates
0.5 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Thoroughly rinse quinoa, drain and allow to dry.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir well.
5. Spray a piece of baking paper with oil.
6. Spread a thin layer of the mix onto the greased baking paper.
7. Bake for around 30 minutes, stirring once.
8. Add extra ingredients and drizzle with the honey.
9. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.
10. Remove and allow to cool.

Serve with yoghurt or milk (it's great with both!)
Enjoy!

Number of Servings: 12 (0.5 cup per serving)

If you're ever making recipes and need to know the nutritional details, I highly recommend Spark People Recipes, which is what I used. They also have whole heap of healthy tasty recipes.


At first glance this might seem like a high calorie breakfast. But, you have to think about the nutritional benefits you get from this kind of food. Not only that but this granola will keep you full for hours, and it's so yummy and easy! 

Tip: Decrease cooking time if you don't like your granola crunchy
Tip: To make a seriously yummy parfait I have been layering chobani 0% plain yoghurt with the granola and frozen blueberries. Leave to sit for 15 minutes (while you have a shower) and the blueberries will de-frost but still be deliciously cool. Perfect for a hot, summer morning! I also like to prepare a 'green tea with jasmine' tea when I make my breakfast, pop a few ice cubes in it and have a icy drink with my parfait! 

Parfait perfection