Healthy Breakfast for Kids: Outrageously Good Pumpkin Granola (Pssst…Secret Ingredient Alert!) (Kids Cook Monday)
| October 15, 2012 | Posted by Stacy under Breakfast, Recipes |
I’m just a little bit addicted to this homemade pumpkin granola. It makes for a not-too-sweet, slightly-chewy wholesome bowl of goodness. I’ve even been known to put some in a Ziploc and bring it with me when I travel. My four-year-old twins are fans, too. My six year old? Well, we’re still working on him but I haven’t given up hope.
O.k., now for the secret ingredient. Are you ready? Drum roll, please.….it’s uncooked quinoa. That’s right: I don’t cook it first. I throw it in raw and it adds a really interesting (in a good way) texture.
I adapted my base recipe from one found in Cooking Light magazine. Every time I make it, I vary up the ingredients a little to change the nutrient profile and keep it interesting. There are so many ways that you can switch it up: use different nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds) and seeds (sunflower, sesame, hemp, chia, flax). Or, you can vary the milk you put on top (cow’s, unsweetened vanilla almond, hemp). I added pumpkin to this batch because I love it.
This is a quick and simple recipe to make with kids. Because mine are young„ I measure the ingredients. Then, they pour them into a big mixing bowl and take turns stirring it all up. Twenty or so minutes later…voila! You’re good to go.
Outrageously Good Pumpkin Granola
Yields: 6.5 cups
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 to 25 minutes
Ingredients:
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 to 1/2 cup canned 100% pure solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
5 cups oats
1/2 cup mixed seeds & nuts (sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans)
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa, well rinsed*
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup raisins
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Combine syrup and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl. Stir in mixed seeds and nuts and quinoa.
- Spread mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 325 for 25 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes. (NOTE: Test the granola before removing from oven to make sure that it isn’t soggy; if it is, then continue baking in 3 to 5 minute increments until the bigger clusters are dry.)
- Remove from oven. Cool granola in pan on a wire rack. Stir in dried cranberries and raisins. Store in an airtight container.
*I buy pre-washed quinoa, but it’s always a good idea to rinse it thoroughly anyway. You also may want to soak it for 5 to 10 minutes in cold water before using. Since you’re toasting the quinoa, it isn’t technically raw. But it passes through the digestive system similar to whole flaxseed. In other words, the nutrients aren’t absorbed. Instead, it serves more as a “flaxitive,” as my husband likes to say. Or is that TMI?
MORE HEALTHY RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY:
Peanut Butter & Apple Quesadilla
I created this blog to raise awareness and start a dialogue about the various issues involved in school food. By writing about it, I hope to provide parents and educators with ideas and inspiration for making healthy changes in their own schools. Since healthy eating habits start at home, I also address common feeding challenges faced by parents.
This looks super delicious! Definitely trying it this weekend w/my boys. They eat pumpkin out of the can and love anything with pumpkin, so this granola will be a big hit.
I didn’t even know you could eat quinoa uncooked. Do you rinse it first or jsut use it dry?
Awesome recipe. I’ve never heard of using the quinoa in granola. I like it. I have a big fat pumpkin we “forgot” to carve by Halloween. This will be purrrfect.
Cheers!
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