Granola Uprising: #Shameseamless Goes Counter Culture

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Nothing says “I’m beating the man” more than making your own granola. There’s something quintessentially and inexplicably counter-culture about it. So it seems appropriate that it has turned out to be one of the outcomes of #shameseamless. 

Now, how do you make granola even more “granola” you might ask? The answer my friends is quinoa. “Is that bird seed?!” my skeptical friend asked as I pulled it out of the oven. And while I too questioned whether or not I may have taken things a little too far with this one, I have to say the texture of quinoa granola is really satisfying. Load it up with some dried fruit and you’ve got yourself a nice treat, which, in my opinion, does not need to stay relegated to the breakfast hours. Pack it for lunch!

“Yes I’m Sure It’s Not Bird Seed” Toasted Quinoa Granola

- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

- 3 teaspoons vegetable oil (or coconut oil if you have it)

- 2 tablespoons honey

- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

- ¼ teaspoon seal salt

- ¼ cup sunflower seeds

- ¼ cup sesame seeds

- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

- ¼ cup golden flax seeds

- ¼ cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350˚F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, mix the seeds and quinoa. In a small saucepan, heat up the honey, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Pour the contents of the saucepan over the seed and quinoa mixture in the bowl and mix them up. 

Pour the quinoa/ seed mixture out onto the baking sheet and create one even layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Watch it closely towards the end to ensure it doesn’t burn! 

Allow the granola to cool after you pull it out of the oven and then lift the parchment and break the granola off into chunks. 

Serve it with whatever you like but I’d recommend it over plain Greek yogurt with a piece of fruit on the side!​