Quinoa Granola

This post should probably be called, 'How many times can I use the word quinoa?' or 'The year 2013 wants its' IT food back yo'.

I LOVE QUINOA.

And eating it makes people, and yourself, think you're healthier than you are. Because, "We for suuure care about what other people think of our eating habits, riiiight?", she said as she licked clean her third stick of a cake pop in the last hour, cause they're frickin' fabulous.

I know quinoa is nothing new but seriously, quinoa saved my life. It is the swiss army knife of grains. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sweet or savory. 

I have cooked it up with milk. You can use any kind of milk, fresh from an animals teet or straight from squished almond nuts. Then there you have it...breakfast quinoa! It can be topped with more milk or berries or yogurt or honey - basically it is your home cereal base and where you take it is only determined by your imagination. Need inspiration? Look up quinoa breakfast bowl on Pinterest. Unreal.

"Why, sometimes I believed in as many as six impossible things before breakfast." 

- the Queen or Lewis Carroll

Quinoa can also be cooked in water, water with salt or any kind of broth. I use chicken broth. Bottom line: just cook it in liquid. Also, typing out loud here but I wonder how coffee quinoa would be?! STARBUCKS BREAKFAST MENU LOOK OUT! I'M DREAMING THE IMPOSSIBLE. 

Once the quinoa is cooked I use it as a side for lunch or dinner. Might add some garlic and sweet nothings to it. Or if I'm really feeling it I'll make a quinoa bowl, like a rice bowl but with quinoa ya know. BIG DREAMS. 

Now the smart asses out there reading this(side note: no one reads this) may be thinking, "Why not just use brown rice, it's healthy and lower calorie you idiot." NO, YOU ARE MEAN. NOTHING IS AS HEALTHY AS QUINOA. Except straight shots of green juice and almonds. But yes, it is higher calorie but also higher protein. Personally I choose protein because muscles. I don't have any but I enjoy them on others. Also, it tastes better and I bet Gwyneth eats it.

I don't know all the nutritional facts but just believe me on this one. I just know it keeps me regular. That should be proof enough for you. I think it's the fiber. Don't quote me. I judge whether foods are healthy by how they go through the ol' system and quinoa keeps the tracks on track and flowing. Regularly. Amen.

All of this to say, TRY THIS QUINOA GRANOLA I MADE. IT'S DELICIOUS. I never follow cooking instructions, because if there's anywhere I like surprises it's in the kitchen. You don't have to follow instructions either. Play with it. Make it your own. Just make something edible.

 BASIC QUINOA GRANOLA

Ingredients: 

3 cups cooked quinoa*

(Using water with or without salt. I like salt. I'm also bloated a lot. You choose).

1-3 cups old-fashioned oats (or whatever, I just had some to use up)

1/2 tbs cinnamon

Combine with:

2 tbs butter, melted

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup maple syrup

You can also use agave, coconut oil or any combination. 

Just get the grains lathered real good. 

Bake:

Spread flat on sprayed baking sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. 

Let cool until dry and crunchy.

Add:

Anything you want. What an adventure!

I added chia seeds to my granola but that's all. I'm boring.

Some people like coconut shaving or any kind of nut or dried fruit added.

But I don't like any of that so go forth from my basic and terribly done recipe and make it awesome! 

After add-ins:

Snack on granola.

Scrape remaining into a hip mason jar to eat at later time, like breakfast.

*If you don't know how to cook quinoa look at the back of the package or call your mom. If your mom is dead, I'm really sorry. Look at the back of the package again? Or Google?