Granola is usually made with oats and other grains that contain gluten. But there is a way to make this tasty breakfast dish so that it’s safe for the celiac suffers and gluten-sensitive people among us to eat…
Ever since Mrs Romance found out she was gluten intolerant, we’ve been looking around for gluten-free options for her. I find it amazing – and such a relief – that there are so many alternatives out there now that are actually edible (apart from the bread – someone needs to sort that out).
A day after we’d made our first slow-cooked roast lamb and quinoa salad, we discovered that we’d made way too much quinoa. I started looking around for things I could do with all this extra cooked quinoa and found this excellent recipe on MaNouvelleMode.com for granola.
Still, this recipe uses oats, which do contain gluten. It was then that my brain did its thing. I started wondering if I could replace the oats with these quinoa flakes I’d discovered recently.
The answer: indeed I could!
Even better than that, the recipe makes a granola that’s really bloody tasty too!
Home-made gluten-free quinoa chia granola
Serves 25 – takes about 50mins
Here’s what you need:
- 4 ½ cups quinoa flakes
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup pecans
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup pepita seeds
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ to 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup honey
- ¾ cup apple sauce (unsweetened if you can find it)
- 1 tsp vanilla
Here’s what you do
- Pre-heat your oven to 160°C (325°F).
- In one big bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl combine the wet ingredients – the honey, apple sauce and vanilla – and mix it up well.
- Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients until everything is well-combined.
- Spread the mix out thinly over baking trays lined with paper. Make sure the granola is no more than 1cm deep on the tray.
- Bake the granola for about 35 minutes – checking after the first 15-20 minutes.
- Stir the mix regularly and keep a close eye on the granola the closer it gets to time.
**35-40 minutes should be long enough – 45 minutes if you prefer a darker granola.**
You don’t have to add this exact mix – try walnuts instead of pecans or brazils instead of almonds. You don’t need to include chia seeds either – they’re a superfood but not essential to this mix. You can even add dried fruit to the mix if you want.
Quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wah’)
Quinoa is an ancient grain that’s packed full of good stuff like magnesium, iron, fibre and protein, so it’s pretty good for you. To cook it, stir the quinoa into a pot of boiling water – about a 1:2 quinoa-water ratio.
We usually dissolve a stock cube in the water first too. You know it’s done when little rings around each grain start to detach themselves.
You can now find quinoa flakes pretty easily in the health food or dietary requirements section of your supermarket (if not, ask them to stock it). I use them a lot for an extra dimension when I’m crumbing things!
When it’s all cooked and cooled, all you have to do is slice up some strawberries or whatever fruit you fancy, add a dash of milk or yoghurt to your bowl and away you go!
What’s in your favourite breakfast bowl? Do you have a preferred granola blend? What do you use chia seeds for? Tell us in the comments!
Bree
So you had leftover quinoa? Gwyneth would be proud 😉
Mr Romance
Ha ha! Well, I should hope so, Bree. I’ve been emulating her for so many years now! I’m thinking of starting my own newsletter called Gloop with the byline “Eat, Eat, Eat, Eat, Eat and Eat”!
Jxx
Maxabella
You’ve managed to pack in every good seed possible and I reckon you’ll be brimming with good health all day. Bet it tastes fabulous too! x
Mr Romance
Lol! I know, Bron. I was thinking about hanging a ball of this stuff from a tree and pecking at it like a bird! It’s a pretty healthy blend though, isn’t it? Love that we’ve finally found another use for those chia seeds we’ve had hanging around for a while too!
Jxx
Sonia from Sonia Styling
Mrs R: do you take interstate orders? x
Mr Romance
Depends what you’re after, Sonia! 😉
Jxx
Christie-Childhood 101
I’ve been making my own granola with oats for a few months now but can’t wait to mix it up and give this version a try 🙂
Mr Romance
There’s something very fulfilling about making your own granola, isn’t there, Christie?! Let me know how you get on with the quinoa flakes though. In some ways I think I prefer the flakes to oats – and they’re great for crumbing too!
Jxx
Liz @ I Spy Plum Pie
This granola combo sounds pretty delish, and jam-packed with lots of goodness! Quinoa flakes work really well for gluten-free porridge too, if you need something a bit warmer this winter!
Mr Romance
Nice tip, Liz! Thanks! Didn’t think about using the flakes for porridge! Yes, this granola’s really pretty tasty. I was well impressed with how it came out actually. I was a bit unsure to begin with.
Jxx
Soonannee
For the bread thing – there is NO substitute. I have tried almost every available ready made bread and they all have a disgusting taste – to me.
Purchased ready made bread the Pure Bred white farmhouse loaf is bearable. But it is made in Ireland, brought to Australia and sold through Coles and Woolworths in their bread section. Probably frozen and thawed.
Alternatively make your own and this recipe makes a bearable loaf but I can’t tolerate the sorghum and have to substitute
http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/01/05/gluten-free-crusty-boule
Then there is the ‘other breads’ like
http://milkforthemorningcake.blogspot.com.au/2008/07/nice-loaf-of-banana-bread-not-cake.html
or
http://milkforthemorningcake.blogspot.com.au/2008/05/residue-thats-good-for-you-carrot-pulp.html
Mr Romance
Hi Soonannee. I totally agree that most gluten-free bread is gross. The whole gluten-free scene is getting better though and companies are starting to twig that there’s a huge demand for it out there. Helga’s seem to have got the message and their bread – while not perfect – is getting there.
Thank you for the tips and links – we’ll check them out! And here’s something you might find interesting: Nikki from http://StylingYou.com.au put us on to Protein Bread. It’s gluten-free, really filling, and actually very tasty and not at all cakey. http://theproteinbreadco.com.au/ It’s a bit pricey but worth every penny if you’re really yearning for a good sandwich!
Cheers
Jx
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