Mornings in my house often start with: “Mama, yogut and ganowa!” That’s the sound of my R-challenged two year old calling out for his breakfast.
He’s looking for yogurt and granola. And not the kind of granola you buy in a box or from a bulk bin, or even in a fancied-up super expensive bag from the farmers’ market. No siree, my kid is looking for mama’s homespun made-from-scratch cereal.
And who can blame him, really? As cereal goes, nothing from a box comes even close to the taste and texture of home-toasted grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruit.
My standard DIY cereal recipe is oat-based—variations on this recipe, using whatever odds and sods I’ve got hanging out in my pantry—but I am always looking for new recipes to keep breakfast interesting. So I was happy to find this Quinoa Crunch Cereal in the pages of Nourish, the latest cookbook to hit my mailbox.
Nourish is written by a dietician (Cara Rosenbloom) and chef (Nettie Cronish) and filled with recipes that boost familiar foods like salads, dips, stews and stir-fries with the nutritional power of nuts, seeds, beans and legumes. The book features “whole-food, nutrient dense meals,” but without the pretense or impossible-to-source ingredients that you often find in the “clean eating” cookbook genre. These are accessible, everyday, family-friendly recipes.
This Quinoa Crunch Cereal calls for just five basic ingredients—quinoa, sliced almonds, sesame seeds, maple syrup and oil—and it’s simple and flexible enough to be tweaked to your family’s tastes. I added some cinnamon and sea salt to my batch, and subbed in sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds for the almonds so that my daughter could take it to school as a yogurt-topper.
This isn’t as substantial or toothsome as a boxed cereal or even homemade granola; it has a looser almost bird-seed-like consistency. So while it might just disappear in a bowl of milk, it adds a sweet and healthful crunch to homemade bircher muesli (as pictured here) or a bowl of plain yogurt, and would be great on top of one of those fancy green smoothie bowls.
I’ve partnered with several friends and food bloggers to share some Nourish recipes, and offer you a chance to win your very own copy of the book. To enter the giveaway, you must leave a comment below (tell us why you’d love to win a book filled with wholesome, simple recipes!) and fill in your information so that we can contact you if you are the winner. You can earn additional entries by following the participating bloggers on their Instagram or Twitter accounts. All the fine print and entry details follow the recipe. For more on Nourish, visit:
Kelly from Kelly Neil Photography, Tiffany from Eating Niagara, Regina from Leelalicious, Redawna from Nutmeg Disrupted, Gwen from Devour and Conquer, Hilary from Cocoa Bean, the Vegetable, Erin from How to Eat, Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, Stephanie from Kitchen Frolic, Caroline from Do it All Working Mom, Libby from Libby Roach, Katrina from Kitchen Trials, Laureen from Art and the Kitchen, Emily from Best of this Life, Lauren from Lauren Follet Nutrition, Zannat from Food for Happiness, Charmian from The Messy Baker and Heather from The Tasty Gardener.
Note that Whitecap Books, the publishers of Nourish, provided me with a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes.
- 2 cups (500 mL) quinoa, rinsed [Note: I let the quinoa dry on a paper towel after rinsing it.]
- 1 cup (250 mL) sliced raw almonds
- ¼ cup (60 mL) raw sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) organic canola oil
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix together quinoa, almonds, sesame seeds, maple syrup and oil. Spread on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until toasty and fragrant, 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
- Store cereal in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month. Serve atop yogurt or with milk.
Giveaway Details:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to all legal residents of Canada who have reached the age of majority at the time of the contest in the province or territory in which they reside. No purchase necessary. Giveaway will run from Wednesday May 4, 2016 at 12:01 a.m. to Wednesday May 11, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter. Winner will be contacted via email and given 48 hours to respond. If the selected winner does not respond within that time period, a new winner will be chosen. Winner selected MUST correctly answer a skill-testing mathematical question. Winner’s name will be displayed on Rafflecopter. None of the collected email addresses will ever be given out to any third party. Approximate retail value of prize is CDN $30.
Another amazing recipe – Quinoa Crunch Cereal. I did a simliar recipe a while back – https://www.onlinefoodblog.com/apple-cinnamon-quinoa-granola-recipe/ . (almost just as good as yours)
Thanks for sharing the useful and informative posts with us.
Love the recipe including your tweaks. I’d love to win a copy of Nourish. I’ve been vegetarian for over 30 years and it’s not too often I see something original. I’m excited to try this recipes and some of the others featured in Nourish!
Wow, looks absolutely delish! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
I’m a mom to a toddler who would love some new healthy, wholesome recipes to try with my growing family! I will definitely be trying this recipe.
I’d like to win because a friend has the book and it has GREAT recipes. I’d like to own a copy, too!
CalifKitties {at} Aol {dot} com
I love the vibrant red of the strawberries in your photos. Usually my granola is lumpy, but I kind of digging all the little quinoa in this.
Ooooh this looks healthy and delicious! I love your pictures!