Super Seed & Quinoa Granola

This is a fantastic granola for all the family- full of nutrients from the quinoa, oats, nuts and seeds as well as a big dose of natural sweetness from the fresh bananas. Its essential to leave the granola in the oven to crisp up after you have turned it off otherwise you won't get the lovely crunchy texture that makes it so addictive that you'll find yourself sneaking handfuls as a quick snack! I haven't included any dried fruit as we tend to add these separately as they burn in the oven but if you wanted to add any into the mixture before storing then I would suggest two types and about 50g each.

[Note: if you can't find puffed quinoa then just use an extra 60g porridge oats.]

140g porridge oats

40g puffed quinoa

40g desiccated coconut

40g almonds, roughly chopped

40g pistachios, roughly chopped

40g pecans, roughly chopped

40g sunflower seeds

40g pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp linseed

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp olive oil

150g banana (about 2 bananas)

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Preheat the oven to 180oC and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Place the maple syrup, olive oil and banana in a blender and blitz until a smooth puree. Pour the banana mixture over the dry ingredients and stir through so that everything is is evenly coated.

Spread the mixture onto the baking tray and compact down with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, giving it a stir every 10-15 minutes. Turn off the oven but leave the tray inside for another 30 minutes to allow everything to crisp up. Remove and leave to cool completely before breaking up and storing in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.

Coconut & Pear Bircher

This is a fantastic super nutritious dairy free breakfast option that you can prepare the night before. I think the combination of the pear and coconut work wonderfully together but use apple if you prefer and if you don't have any mixed dried berries just use whatever dried fruit you have available. This recipe is also great if you are baby led weaning as the mixture can be baked and set into little muffin size cakes that tiny hands can pick up and explore- see method below.

Serves 2 adults and 1-2 small children

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100g porridge oats

400ml tin full fat coconut milk

50g mixed dried berries

30g desiccated coconut

1/2 pear, finely diced or grated

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla paste, optional

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Place all the ingredients in a large airtight container and stir to combine. Leave overnight for the oats to absorb the flavours and serve topped with extra pear and a drizzle of maple syrup. 

for baby led weaning: preheat the oven to 160oC and grease a 12-hole muffin. Divide the mixture between 9 of the moulds (it won't make 12) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely before popping out. Keep whole, slice or cut into dice before storing in an airtight container for 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.