Tag: granola

Quinoa Granola

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Say, what?! I know, it sounds a little weird, right? That’s what I thought when my sister sent me an email with a link to this recipe from her favorite blog, Iowa Girl Eats, but after making it, I can promise you there’s nothing weird about it!

I made a number of additions/substitutions based on what I had in the apartment and based on what I thought I wanted to include in it, but using her recipe as a base was a great place to start. I never would have thought to have included quinoa in a granola recipe!

Crunch Quinoa Granola– Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

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Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup sliced almonds– I used 1/2 cup chopped almonds and 1/4 cup copped pecans
2 Tablespoons flax seeds– I ran out of flax seeds so I left this out
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt
1/4 cup honey– I used a mixture of honey, maple syrup and agave. I probably used between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup combined.
2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted– Left this out since I didn’t have any. I added in 2 TBSP of almond butter instead.
1 cup raisins– I used craisins instead because I like them better

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*. Combine all ingredients except for the raisins or craisins.

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2. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes, checking on it periodically and stirring to ensure that everything is baked evenly.

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3. When it’s cooked, remove from the oven, add the raisins or craisins and enjoy!

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Not surprisingly, I couldn’t keep my hands out of this granola. Ugh, it’s such an obsession! What I loved about this granola, though, was the extra dose of protein and fiber from the quinoa that helped kept me full and satisfied for longer. It was the prefect fuel for the run I did after eating it by the BIG handful.

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Needless to say, this batch didn’t last every long… whoops!

Questions for you: What’s the “weirdest”, but surprisingly delicious, recipe you’ve ever made? Do you prefer raisins or craisins?

I have a granola obession…

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It’s no lie: I am a sucker for granola. There’s just something about it that requires serious self control on my end to not eat handful after handful of it. Even though granola is thought to be a “healthy” snack or yogurt topper, you have to be careful because some brands are super high in calories and sugar.

Last week, as I was perusing the granola section in the grocery store and reading labels, I thought back to the days where I would make my own granola and decided it was time to do that again. When making your own granola, you control what is going in it and the end result is generally a lot healthier than anything you’d buy in the store.

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I can’t remember where I found this recipe, but it’s been one of my favorites.

Maple Cinnamon Peanut Butter Granola

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/4-1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4-1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. peanut butter
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*. Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, excluding the dried cranberries.

2. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and place on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, remove from the oven to stir, and then bake for another 10-15 minutes.

3. When the granola is done, remove from the stove and add in the dried cranberries.

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Yum! Not only is this granola absolutely delicious, but it is relatively healthy, too. The only problem, and I’m warning you now, is that you may have a hard time with portion control. It’s sad, but I finished that entire batch in a little over a week… yeah, that was just me eating it. Whoops.

Questions for you: Do you like granola? Do you have a granola recipe to share? What’s your biggest weakness in the snack cabinet/kitchen?