Quinoa Granola

Oh granola. How I love and loathe you. You taste so great, and claim to be a delicious snack or breakfast treat, but instead you sneak tons of calories and fat into your skinny portion size. And who suffers? Me. Well I’m writing to tell you that this relationship is over. I’m replacing you with a more nutritious, fiber-rich, crunchy granola. A granola that loves my waistline as much as I do! A granola that I can eat without guilt for breakfast AND a snack later in the day. Old granola, I’m moving on. 

Makes: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes      Baking Time: 20 minutes     Total Time: 40 minutes

1 1/2 cups raw quinoa
1 cup oats
2 tbs flaxseed powder
1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used blueberries and cranberries)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted in the microwave*
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Put the raw quinoa and dried fruit in a medium sized bowl. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Remove from the water from the heat and pour over the quinoa and fruit. Let sit for 5 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer (cheesecloth if necessary) and rinse with cold water until the quinoa is completely chilled.
• Combine the quinoa, oats, flaxseed powder, almonds, and coconut in a bowl.
• Melt the coconut oil in the microwave. When melted, add all of the remaining ingredients to the quinoa bowl. Use a rubber spatula to really mix everything together until all of the ingredients are incorporated. They should be sticky, but not overly mixed.
• Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Use the spatula to flatten the granola into a single layer.
• Bake for 10 minutes, or until the granola starts to stick together. Stir after 10 minutes and spread back into a single layer. Bake for the remaining 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Cool completely before serving; best served with Greek yogurt and fresh berries.

*Coconut oil can be found in most health food grocery stores. If you cannot find it, substitute room temperature vegetable oil.