Quinoa Hazelnut Granola

Oh goodness. This granola is fabulous. Phenomenal. Crunchy. Semi-sweet. Packed with nutrients. It is everything you could ever want in a granola and guess what... it's oat free!

For many who are gluten free oats are not a problem and can be a go-to source for protein and complex carbs. Unfortunately, there are also many, gluten free or not, in which oats do not agree with them. I had to cut oats out of my diet for a while and when I went back to eating them things seemed okay... but whenever this happens with foods I've been cutting out, I get a little too excited that things "seem to be okay" and I begin eating the food like it is my only option. This tends to backfire.. requiring me to cut out the food once again to cleanse my body and get my stomach back on track.

Hence... the search for an oat-free granola began. I have always been a fan of quinoa for its nutritional content (it is a complete protein after all!) and have known that quinoa flakes can be substituted for oats in many recipes. Perfect! So why not make a granola out of it?!

Traditionally.. I make my own granola from scratch.. no recipe... I just go with my gut and the outcome is always delish. For this first attempt.. I reached out to my fellow foodie bloggers and stumbled upon this recipe from the Comfy Belly. If you haven't heard of this blog well... now you have so you have no reason not to visit it just as soon as you finish this post ;-) Erica has amazing photography and such a wide variety of delicious and healthful recipes, including this (as mentioned before) phenomenal quinoa granola.

I'm not going to post the recipe here because I really do feel that you should take advantage of her wonderful blog yourself. I will however explain a little about my modifications...

• I halved the recipe and ended up with about 3 cups of delish granola
• I used only hazelnuts, simply doubling the amount called for (for my halved recipe I used just over 1/2 cup of whole hazelnuts - I then gave them a slight chop before adding to the granola mix)
• I also halved the amount of maple syrup - I prefer my granola on the less sweet side.. I know, crazy right?

That's it! Her recipe is so delightful that the changes I made were strictly based on my dietary restrictions.

Oh yes... I almost forgot... here are the nutrition facts because I know you love them oh so much.

Per one 1/2 cup serving:

368 calories

37g carbs

10g protein

5g fiber

*Don't let the calories scare you, every single one of them are as healthy as can be and I promise this will hold you over and leave you oh so satisfied.

And now.. on to the pictures...

prior to the oven

after baking... the colors become even more beautiful