Olive Oil & Maple Syrup Quinoa Granola with Figs

I am pretty much the biggest fan of breakfast ever. I open my eyes and the first thing that I think of is food. Surprise, surprise. Gosh, I just love breakfast. I love eggs, bacon, french toast, all of it. Though I must say, I pretty much never eat granola. Really... never. Most granolas are carb and sugar packed cardboard disguised in a "healthy" looking package that slowly kills you. Well, it will kill you by making you want to kill yourself because all of your pretty summer dresses now hug all of the wrong places because it is SO BAD FOR YOU! Yup, granola is bad for you. Read the nutrition info next time. Though, thank god for you, this is not your suicide inducing, summer dress ruining granola. Oh, no. You're welcome.

This recipe (once again, slightly adapted, from Gwenyth's new book "It's All Good") is just the opposite. Protein packed quinoa flakes tossed in pure maple syrup and olive oil are used in place of oats and sugar and then mixed with raw nuts and fruit. Its delicious and good for you. Seriously... so delicious.

Olive Oil & Maple Syrup Quinoa Granola with Figs

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup PURE maple syrup

3 cups quinoa flakes (these can be tricky to find.... I found them at Whole Foods)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped

1 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, shelled and roughly chopped

1 1/4 cup dried figs, you guessed it.... roughly chopped

Sea salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Stir together the olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, a pinch of sea salt and quinoa flakes until thoroughly combined. 

Spread the quinoa on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, stirring every so often. This took about 30 minutes. Let the quinoa cool completely. 

Once cool, combine the quinoa with the nuts and figs and store in an air tight jar for up to two weeks. 

I had this with some greek yogurt (for even more protein) and some fresh raspberries. I also added 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed because it's good for your body and that's how I do it.