Toasted Quinoa Sunflower Granola

This post is sponsored by Sunbutter

This month, I’m featuring a recipe made with Sunbutter Natural Crunch Sunflower Butter. It’s creamy and crunchy, all in one scoop. It’s also the perfect ingredient to use in homemade granola. Store-bought granola can be filled with all kinds of allergens - egg white, nuts and peanuts, milk chocolate, oils, and ingredients containing soy or gluten. This is why I never buy pre-made granola at the store. I make my own instead. Making your own granola allows you to customize it to your own personal taste and texture preference. So if you like a lot of seeds, like I do, then go ahead and add more! If you like big chunks, add more honey and sunflower seed butter to bind the ingredients together.

For my special blend I use toasted quinoa (it’s super easy, and ready in less than 2 minutes), shredded coconut flakes, shelled pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, and gluten-free rolled oats. When the vanilla hits the coconut, in the oven, the smell is tantalizingly tropical. Sunbutter rounds everything out in both texture and taste, and adds protein too!

Peanut free, nut free (excluding coconut), dairy free, egg free, soy free, wheat free and gluten free

Ingredients
1/4 cup white quinoa
1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup shelled salted pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup allergen-free dark chocolate chips
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup Sunbutter Natural Crunch Sunflower Butter
3 tbsp organic honey or maple syrup

Heat a dry, stainless steel pan over medium heat. Add the quinoa and cover with a lid, then gently shake over the burner until the quinoa start to pop and turn brown. This should take about two minutes. Pay very close attention to the quinoa because it can turn from brown to burned very quickly.

Add the toasted quinoa, oats, coconut, salted pumpkin seeds, and dark chocolate chips to a mixing bowl and toss well. Add the vanilla, crunchy Sunbutter, and honey or maple syrup and mix well. The granola should come together in lumps.

Spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in a preheated 400F oven and bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Learn how to make oat flour at home!