Homemade Honey & Quinoa Granola

Every time Mr Lee and I walk down the cereal aisle of the supermarket, I always pull a face and prefer to just trust good ol' Hi-Bran Weetbix or go off and get some nice dark rye bread for morning vegemite & butter toasts. When the boxed breakfast varieties look un-enticing, the classics are always the best for workday breakfasts, quick and easy. Fancy boxed cereal these days seem a bit blah and not as wholesome as I would prefer. Toasting your own cereal however is easy as pie and much MUCH better than the run of the mill store-bought variety.

Homemade Honey & Quinoa Granola

• 3 tbsp Maple syrup, 5 tbsp NZ Manuka honey (I used a mixture of Active UMF5+ Manuka and Arataki honey), 3 tbsp Rice Bran Oil (you can use Peanut or Sunflower, I just used Rice Bran for the vitamins!). Combine these liquids in a saucepan over a low-heat until just mixed through to a beautiful golden emulsion.
• 150gm Tri-coloured Organic Quinoa
• 480gm Rolled Oats
• 120gm White Sesame Seeds
• 150gm Raw Cashew nuts
• 200gm Raw Almonds
• 250gm Apple Sauce
• 2tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Ground Ginger
• 280gm Raisins

1. Preheat oven to bake at 160 degrees Celsius
2. Mix all ingredients, except the raisins, together and divide the mixture among two baking trays. Spread out the mixture to a nice even flat layer with a few loose clumps here and there.
3. Place in the oven to bake for 1 hour or so.
4. Halfway through toasting, turn the mixture over. You're aiming for a golden brown, not too toasty brown. Remember the granola mixture still keeps cooking a lil when you take it out of the oven.
5. Once golden and toasty, take out of the oven and leave to cool. Later, mix in the raisins. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Here I served mine with vanilla yoghurt, fresh raspberries, preserved black plum and a lil milk (A2 brand!). I actually took a mason jar like this to work, all piled up and ready to go. The grains and nuts were still crunchy and more-ish when I got to my desk :) Enjoy the granola as a pecking snack on its own from the jar too!

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