It has been quite a whirlwind for us since the start of the new year. On Friday, January 4th the moving truck to got dropped off at our house and we had that weekend to pack up everything we wanted to keep, to go out to California and go into storage. The truck was on it’s way on the following Monday, January 7 and then we had the rest of the week to finish cleaning up the house, sell off our remaining furniture that we weren’t taking with us and get ourselves temporarily moved over to my parents house where we are staying until the official move to California.
Yesterday our house closed!! So, after the moving truck pulled away last week and now handing off the keys of our house to the new owners, it is definitely all very real. We have a lot to do before we are officially on our way to California for good, but it is all feeling a little less overwhelming. At least right now. Staying at my parent’s house is going to take some getting used to, since I haven’t lived at home in nearly 10 years, but it is also really nice to spend some quality time with my parent’s before we move across the country.
Last week was spent getting settled here and wrapping up everything at our house, but over the weekend I finally got some time to sit down and write up some recipes that have been swirling around in my head the last few weeks. I also made time to meal plan for the next week and write a grocery list. Yesterday I made dinner for everyone, hopefully the first of many while we are here. We popped a bottle of prosecco to celebrate the house sale being finalized and I made a huge pot of my chili, with some of the grass-fed ground beef from our farmer and some ground venison from a local hunter. Then I spent some time in the evening making this granola.
I am quite fond of minimal food photos that really allow the food to be the center focus rather than lots of props and other stuff, and I am excited to have some of my photography stuff here, but I really don’t have any of my props besides my nice white back drop. So, look for even more minimal photos than ever here at Tasty Yummies over the coming weeks. Hopefully the food will be as enticing as ever and I can create some fun stuff in the kitchen here at my parent’s place to share with you guys. With or without props and linens. I have some fun stuff in the works for you guys. By the way, the napkin seen in these photos is something I made as a gift for my mom. Designed and hand silkscreened fabric made by me and then I sewed it into a set of napkins. I still owe her a few to make the set complete, but we are going to work on them together, now that I am staying here! Can’t wait.
I think what I like about this granola is that it is grain-free, something I am trying to be much more aware of, as I definitely feel better and less bloated when I am not consuming a lot of grains. Besides the fact, quinoa, those cute little seeds, often mistaken for a grain, is a nutritional powerhouse of a super-food, take a read here for the long list of benefits quinoa has to offer. I went a bit heavier on the maple syrup than I normally would have, but I really wanted to capture some of the wonderful maple flavor. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t lost in the flavor of the quinoa and cinnamon. Feel free to use less and/or to also consider adding in a tablespoon or two of some blackstrap molasses, which is a great source of iron. And as always with so many of my recipes, you can easily make this recipe your own. Taking out, adding in or swapping your favorite nuts, seeds, fruit and spices. This is a versatile recipe that is quite easily adaptable.
[print_this]Maple Cinnamon Crunch Quinoa Granola
Makes approximately 4-5 cups
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked (rinsed well and drained)
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut chips
- 1/3 cup flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl or directly in a roasting pan, combine all of the dry ingredients, including the spices. If solid, heat the coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl on high for 20-30 seconds until melted. Pour the coconut oil and maple syrup evenly over all of the granola. Toss it all very well to make sure the dry ingredients are all nicely coated.
Make sure the granola is evenly spread in a thin layer in your roasting pan (you can also use a parchment paper lined baking sheet as well). I like using a roasting pan, since it makes stirring easier, so you don’t lose any over the sides. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, and slightly crisp. Stirring a few times while it is baking.
Cool completely in the roasting pan or on the baking sheet. As it cools the granola will crisp up even more. Cool fully before adding placing in air tight container for storage.
Enjoy this granola as cereal in your favorite milk (dairy or non-dairy), sprinkled with fresh fruit over your favorite yogurt or ice cream, on top of a smoothie, etc.
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23 Responses
I feel silly asking this but do you cook the quinoa?
Nope, uncooked as it states at the top of the recipe 🙂
Just let the uncooked quinoa get all toasty in the oven.
Hi Beth,
Your granola recipe looks great! Can’t wait to try it.
On a separate note… re your move… we are planning to do a cross country move as well, in a couple of years. I’m curious to know how you went about selling off your remaining furniture and if there were any big pieces involved. We’re evaluating the cost of moving big heavy stuff versus buying new when we get to our final destination.
Thanks!
Hi again, Beth,
I got a partial email from you as follows…
“It has been quite a whirlwind for us since the start of the new year. On Friday, January 4th the moving truck to got dropped off at our house and we had that weekend to pack up everything we wanted to keep, to go out to California and go into storage. The truck was on […]”
And that’s all there was! I came back to the comments section here, and don’t even see that much.
Feel free to email me directly, I’m keen to see what you had to say!
Thanks again.
Oh man, this looks so good! I am going to have to try this out this weekend. Thanks for the link too, you are too kind.:) Can’t wait to be LBC neighbors!
Just took it out of the oven. It tastes amazing! My husband approves as well. I had to stop myself from eating the whole pan straight from the oven. Thanks for all of your great recipes!
Hi Beth,
My mother in law is also a huge fan of yours in fact she introduced me to your site. Anyway, she recommended I make your granola and I finally got around to it last night. Me and my 3 year old daughter Maeve made it together. I have to say-it was so tasty even before going in the oven to bake we were shoveling it in our mouths by the spoonful. Then, when it was done and cooled a bit…this granola is bananas!!!! We love it. You hit the ball out of the park with this one. I never would have thought to toast quinoa but its perfect. Perfect crunch, taste everything. With some almond milk it is a super tasty satisfying snack too.
We had some crazy snow last night, so I’m spending the day in the kitchen and I just made this. It is delicious!! Even my husband liked it, and he is picky about homemade gf granolas. I’d been looking for a recipe with quinoa flakes, but they’re so pricey; this is just perfect!! Thanks for the great recipe.
I’ve made this twice in the last few weeks – just love it!
Hi Beth!
I was wondering if Smart Balance cooking oil and honey would work for this recipe? I don’t have coconut oil on hand but I don’t want to change the taste or health benefits either! I’v seen butter and honey used in other recipes but don’t want the extra fat that butter holds. Any suggestions?
Thank you,
Amanda
Getting ready to make this for the fourth time! It is SO GOOD!
Awesome Linda. I am so glad you like it. I plan to make a batch after I am done with this cleanse. I can’t wait.
I love the minimalist look in food photos, no distractions! I’ve been wanting to try quinoa in granola, so thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much Abby. That is such a wonderful compliment that really means the world to me. I love keeping it simple and all about the food. Thanks again.
After a winter of eating stewed apples and warm grains and recently completing a spring cleanse myself, I have been craving granola with the warmer weather. I just made a batch of this before dinner- um, how can I wait to eat it until the morning?! I had to snitch a spoonful and now I really can’t wait until breakfast. Delectable! This will be so wonderful for traveling. Thanks, Beth! I love your site.
Maybe granola is the most healthy and most easy to prepare snack you can have. Thanks for sharing.
Just made this recipe and it turned out wonderfully! Just as a note though- I would turn the heat down a little and cook it longer. I kept this granola in the oven for 20 minutes at 375 and it is was burn on the edges.
[…] a grain-free version (check out my Paleo Trail Mix recipe) or a gluten-free version like this the Maple Cinnamon Crunch Quinoa Granola from Tasty Yummies – both recipes are vegan too. Preserve granola in mason jars to store in […]
this is so good, i cant stop eating it! made the second batch with pumpkin pie spice, even better. glad this brought me to your site. so many delish recipes. thank you.
I really do love your granola recipes and my 18 year old son thinks I should open my own cereal store :). Thanks for the great recipes…
I have this in the oven, and it smells wonderful. The test nibbles have been yummy, too. The nice thing is it’s a recipe easily adapted to allergies. I had to yank the coconut 🙁 and simply subbed some grapeseed oil. I also had to yank the walnuts and subbed pecans, macadamias, and pistachios. I threw in some goji berries, too. This is great stuff!
Hi Beth!
I made this today, and it is DIVINE. It is the best ever granola recipe, IMO. 🙂
I love that it uses quinoa. I think the next time I make it, I’m going to first pour out some home made cacao chocolate into an 8 x8 pan, then pour the granola over the liquid cacao mixture, let it harden, then cut into bars for a super decadent treat!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thanks so much for this recipe, I found out last year that I’m gluten intolerant and also can’t have oatmeal…this has been a lifesaver, I was a granola addict before :)…one of my favorites!!