Healthy Quinoa Granola Recipe
Toasty quinoa, strawberries, cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips
Posted February 14th, 2013 by noelle | 4 Comments »
Happy Hearts Day!! I wanted to share a light and easy granola recipe today. I gotta warn ya though, this granola recipe tastes nothing like the boxed kind with all the sugar. But it 
has good flavor and a great crunch. The base of this granola is somewhat unexpected and made with a delicate and fluffy quinoa. Quinoa is a pearly-looking little seed that is often embraced these days as a protein-rich alternative to brown rice or couscous. I find that it cooks up and stores beautifully in the fridge for quick dinners and hot breakfast cereals. Precooked, it also toasts up beautifully under the broiler and packs a fine crunch in this granola.
Healthy Quinoa Granola Recipe
I choose to take a slightly less conventional approach to granola by adding lots of juicy fruit to keep the dish fresh and light. I like this fresh granola drenched in lots of creamy milk with a drizzle of good honey. And while you most certainly can toss uncooked quinoa under the broiler, I find the crunch to be slightly more enjoyable when the quinoa is precooked and then toasted.
Serving Size: 4 (~255 calories with milk and fruit)
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, cooked*
1/4 cup walnut pieces
2 tablespoons good dark chocolate chips
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 cups almond milk (store bought or make your own!)
drizzle of drizzle of good honey (optional)
Better-for-you ingredients
Learn more about the better-for-you ingredients in this recipe:
- Quinoa – Quinoa (KEEN-wah) is actually not a grain but a type of seed. It provides a complete protein, making it a popular staple in veggie-focused diets. Quinoa contains ~6 grams of protein per 1/4 cup serving. Health beauties often swap in quinoa for rice in many recipes. Learn more here.
Directions
Spread cooked quinoa on a baking sheet under broiler for ~5 minutes until the quinoa begins to brown. Half way through the cooking time, move the quinoa around on the baking sheet with a spatula. After the allotted cooking time, turn off the broiler and leave the quinoa to sit in the oven for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Combine the toasty quinoa, walnuts, cranberries and chocolate chips in a bowl with the strawberries. Divide equally between four bowls. Serve with milk and a drizzle of good honey.
* Note: To prepare the quinoa, combine 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the quinoa is fluffy and there is just a splash of water at the bottom of the saucepan. Turn off the heat and allow quinoa to sit for 2-3 minutes until the remaining drop of broth is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
Learn more
You might also appreciate these fresh breakfast recipes. They are rich in fresh fruit and whole grains. I find that the closer I eat to nature in the morning, the more energy I have all day.
Hanna
added 3 months ago
Hi,
Do you have any ideas on what to substitute the strawberries with? The ones that you can buy here at this time of the year are usually pretty crap…
Thanks!
Hanna
noelle
added 3 months ago
Hi Hanna! I think a pear and/or a banana would work beautifully here. – Noelle
Hanna
added 3 months ago
Hi Noelle,
thanks for your reply! We tried it with banana and even though we forgot the almond milk, it was really really tasty!
noelle
added 3 months ago
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s also great on oatmeal, and really anything that you’d like to add a little crunch to! Hope you had a nice weekend!