Maple Quinoa Crunchy Granola

Who doesn't love "dessert" 

first thing in the morning?

When we stayed at our friend's house for the weekend a few weeks ago, I thought it would be nice to make a different kind of breakfast (think gluten-free) for everyone, so we picked up some stuff to make parfaits. They had KIND Maple Quinoa Clusters on-hand which both my kids and I fell in love with. I'm used to making my own granola, so it was nice to try another product, especially having heard good things about this particular brand.

Of course, I needed to try to make this as one bag wouldn't even last a day in our household. ;-) My first attempt at a copycat KIND recipe came from gluten free on a shoestring tasted great, but didn't "cluster" and the taste of millet was quite strong, so I adapted the recipe a bit the second time around by grinding up some of the whole grains and adding water to help everything stick together. 

All these gluten-free whole grains are packed with protein, fiber and nutrients, making this granola a superfood super breakfast, snack or even dessert! ;-)

BREAKFAST PARFAIT

To make a delicious dessert-for-breakfast,
simply layer chopped fruit,

yoghurt of choice (or chia pudding), 
and crunchy granola 
Repeat until you get to the top. 
A fun, and substantial

start to the day!

3 1/2 (360g) cups gluten-free oats, divided
1/4 cup (45g) millet
1/4 cup (40g) quinoa

1/4 cup (40g) buckwheat groats

1/4 cup (45g) amaranth, optional

1/2 cup (65g) brown rice flour 

3 Tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup (120ml) sunflower or coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup (120ml) maple or GF brown rice syrup

3 Tbsp water 

1 Tbsp molasses

• Preheat oven to 275°F.  
• In a food processor, process 1/2 cup (65g) of the oats into a fine flour. Add the millet, quinoa, buckwheat groats and amaranth. Pulse a few times to break up these grains. 
• In a large bowl, combine this mixture with everything else, tossing to coat evenly. 
• Spread evenly onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes until crisp. Toss this mixture occasionally, shifting the outer edge toward the center of the pan and the bits in center carefully to the outer edge for even baking. 
• Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.