Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Quinoa Crunch

Quinoa, I'm at it again. I can't quite figure out who would like this except the exceptionally healthy and crazy but I'm giving it another shot...this time was much better.

I LOVE GRANOLA. I remember my mother making large pans of it when I was younger and just eating and eating it. I'd eat a ton of it every day if it wasn't so many calories. I have a hard time sticking to the suggested 1/2 cup serving. Because I love granola so much I decided to give this a try. It's like quinoa granola.

First Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

For the Quinoa Crunch
1 cup quinoa
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil

Posted by Picasa
Then in a mesh strainer ruinse the quinoa under cold water. I didn't have a mesh strainer so I used some cheese cloth I had on hand. It's easier to see if the water is clear if you put a glass bowl in the sink underneath the strainer. When the water in the bowl is clear, the quinoa is sufficiently rinsed. Drain the quinoa well, shaking the strainer to get out as much water as possible. I had to squeeze my cheese cloth to do this.

Transfer the quinoa to a medium mixing bowl. Add the flaxseed, honey and olive oil. Use a spoon to mix until well combined. Spread the mixture in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

Note: if you buy flaxseeds, they need to be refrigerated after you open the package.
I used a silpat. It made it easier to pour the finish product into a zip lock.
Posted by Picasa

Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once. I cooked mine a little longer because I wanted it to be more browned...like granola. COOL. the picture on the left is the finished product. Store in an air tight container up to 1 week.
Posted by Picasa
This is my finished product that I sprinkled on Dannon Light and Fit yogurt.
1 serving is about 1/4 cup at 132 calories.

Now the rest of the recipe is like this:
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons Quinoa Crunch
1/2 cup fresh blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries or a mixture
1/2 teaspoon honey, or a I suppose Agave

Now, I had intended to do this but I decided I'm not a fan of plain greek yogurt. I need a flavor...maybe I'll look for vanilla to make this work. I only had strawberries on hand...maybe the plain would have worked with raspberries since I love them. So when I switched the the Dannon light and fit I didn't use the berries or the honey...just the crunch. I think you could use the crunch for many things. I'm going to try the Greek Yogurt option again...once I get to the store.

10 comments:

  1. Oh, good another way to try quinoa. Maybe this should be called quinola.

    I've been making my own vanilla yogurt: just take plain, add 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp sugar or sweetener per serving.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Is it yummy cus it kinda looks like bird food ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The consistency is kind of like bird food if the chunks break up too small, but it doesn't taste like bird food :-0

    ReplyDelete
  4. I know what Uncle Kirk would say, "Feed it to the birds!"

    Good for you Audrey for trying something different. I'm going to pass up on quinoa unless there is nothing else to eat...then I'll eat it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 132 calories, and you only get 1/4 cup? I do love the taste of granola, but that's probably why I don't eat it, too many calories for so little serving size! But it's the kind of thing I might eat on my next free day...

    ReplyDelete
  6. This looks so yummy! thanks for the recipe!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Audrey, you are amazing! I don't know if I would have the guts to try something like this...but now you've got my curiosity going. I miss granola because usually it's not gluten free. I'm going to try this. Thanks for the recipe. Also, you're comment about bird food made me giggle...a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Also, I heard that flax seed does no good unless it's ground, so you def need to chew very well when eating whole flax seed or else you aren't getting the benefits from it. Kinda like corn, just goes right through you :)
    I'd try it if I could come over. I think it's one of those things in my mind...I start reaing recipes and as soon as an ingredient comes up that I normally don't have, my mind shuts it out. I really need to branch out.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It does look like bird seed but definitely worth a try. I am always looking for something crunchy. What ghe heck...I have tried to post and to no avail...got real discouraged after all my long winded writings...now it posts as Chelsea...it' mama

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love flax seed, but I don't think I have ever had quinoa. Maybe I will have to give this a try.

    Oh and while we are on the subject of flax seed, my doctor once told me never to buy ground flax because it goes rancid very quickly. She said to grind in myself in small quantities that could be used within a few days and always store it in the freezer. Just an FYI.

    ReplyDelete