Quinoa Granola [gluten free, low sugar, soy free, vegan]
- 1c quinoa, rinsed well
- 1 can [15oz] light coconut milk
- 5 cinnamon sticks [or 1t cinnamon]
- 2t vanilla
- 2T chia seeds
- 1/4c ground flax meal
- 2T hemp seeds
- 1/2c chopped almonds
- 1/2c chopped walnuts
- pinch of salt
- 1T sucanat
- 2T brown rice syrup
- cinnamon for dusting
- Bring quinoa, coconut milk, cinnamon and vanilla to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for ~15min until liquid is absorbed. [I realize that normally you would add 2c of liquid for 1c of quinoa, but this works better with less liquid]
- Preheat oven to 350*
- In a mixing bowl combine quinoa mixture, chia seeds, flax, hemp seeds, almonds, walnuts, salt, sucanat, and brown rice syrup.
- Stir until well combined.
- Line a medium size pan with parchment paper
- Spread mixture evenly on the pan and bake.
- Stir quinoa about every 10min until it is golden brown and almost completely dried out. This will take about 1hr. If it seems like it’s browning too fast you can lower your oven temp to 325*.
- Let completely cool, dust with cinnamon, and store in a plastic bag or storage container.
*It is really important that you let it cool ALL the way or it will get soggy when you store it.
**I totally made this up…so if you don’t like it, don’t hate me ;)
The texture has a unique crunch because it’s such a small grain. You can definitely add more ingredients to this to your liking and adjust the sweetness as well. 1-2T of maple syrup or honey would have been a great addition. I was trying to keep as much sugar out as possible. This has a sliiight sweetness but overall has a very nutty flavor. If you want to kick up the coconut flavor, add in 1/4c unsweetened shredded coconut. You can also add in 1T unrefined coconut oil to the quinoa mixture before cooking, which I will definitely do last time. It will infuse a richer coconut flavor like in my coconut rice.
So far I have eaten this on oatmeal, with yogurt, with whole milk, and with hemp milk. I think my favorite was actually in the hemp milk! It’s a fun gluten free alternative to oat granola!
…
Next up, we have my also completely made-up gluten free, sugar free, vegan snack mix!
REAL FOOD crackers! Not only a machine can make crackers..you can totally bust these out at home!!!
- 1c quinoa flour
- 1c whole wheat flour [or garbanzo bean flour if you want it gluten-free]
- 1t sesame seeds
- 1t baking powder
- 1/2t sea salt
- 3T + 1t olive oil
- 2/3-3/4c water
- 1T nutritional yeast
- 3/4t garlic powder
- 1t basil
- 1t rosemary
- olive oil/salt/pepper to coat before baking
If you are making your own quinoa flour here are the directions:
- Preheat oven to 250*
- Rinse 1c quinoa.
- Spread on a small baking sheet.
- Bake until completely dry, stirring often. ~30min.
- Grind in food processor or coffee grinder [not full of coffee :)] until powdery. Mine still had some full seeds in it, which is fine.
Somewhat tedious but it saves you from buying it!
- Combine the flours, seeds, salt, seasonings, nutritional yeast and baking powder.
- Rub in the oil with your fingers until well combined. The mixture will be somewhat crumbly.
- Add water in a small amount at a time and mix with hands.
- Add only enough water until you have a formed ball of dough that is soft but not falling apart.
- Cover the dough and let rest for ~10min.
- Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
- Preheat your oven to 400*
- Roll out dough [on well floured surface] as thin as possible. About 1/8”-1/16” thick.
- Cut into crackers with knife or pizza cutter. I cut appx. 1x1” squares.
- Use a spatula to transfer the crackers to a pan.
- Lightly brush crackers with olive oil and sprinkle s+p overtop.
- Bake 7-10min.
I lowered the suggest oven temp because I think they needed to be cooked longer to ensure they all browned evenly. You want to make sure they are all a golden brown before removing from the oven. This will allow for maximum crispness :)
I REALLY like these crackers…It took me a few to get used to them because they are heartier than normal boxed crackers. I would say if you like Mary’s crackers or Dr. Kracker you will like them. They are thick and crunchy and FULL of flavor. I am loving them, especially with my homemade hummus!
I wanted to post the process photos again because I feel like they are important to see. I was worried when the dough cracked as I rolled it out, but it wasnt’ a problem. Just keep the dough, surface, and rolling pin well floured.
After oil was rubbed into the dry mixture.
