My perfect cereal

Ever since cutting out wheat from my diet aside from porridge nothing else tends to feature in my bowled breakfasts apart from the odd switch up with pearl barley or millet. There are of course plenty of alternative breakfast that I make a strong habit of indulging in from smoothies, to baked oats, parfaits, bakes and pancakes, but sometimes something plain and simple is called for.

Most people would head straight for the cereal aisle when such a craving occurs; or in my house the cereal press which is renowned for having at least 5 varieties on stand by at any one time. Cereal was a breakfast staple growing up, I pretty much didn’t deviate from the breakfast in a box throughout my school years and it would have been my preferred snack/supper fare.

Long before I gave up eating wheat in favour of a much happier tummy I gave up eating cereal, in favour of healthier fresh balanced breakfasts. The majority of cereals that would have filled my bowl were nothing other than sugar with not even a token of protein on offer.

When I came across the idea of a homemade cereal made from none other than the protein rich grain quinoa I was more than a little excited to bake myself up a batch. The recipe is another from Angela’s site; it couldn’t be more simple and straightforward. It almost seemed too good to be true.

That was until it came out of the oven and had a nibble! Slightly sweet, perfectly crunchy and I couldn’t wait to drown it in a bowl full of almond milk; it being pretty late at night, way past supper time, I held off until the morning time (though a few extra nibbles were had just to be sure it was cooked just right…!)

Now that I’ve made this cereal my mind is awash with of homemade cereal alternatives I want to create…at least one either variety will be made this week. A super handy healthy breakfast or snack, cereal is officially back on the breakfast menu!

Enjoy!

Crunchy Maple Quinoa Cereal

 Print this easy peasy recipe

Servings – 1

Preparation Time – 2 minutes

Cooking Time – 1 hour

Ingredients

• 90g (3oz) uncooked quinoa
• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) water
• 1 tbsp flax seeds
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Cover quinoa with water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes; until all the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Preheat oven to 190C (375F).
3. Mix together quinoa, flax seeds and maple syrup.
4. Place mixture on to a baking tray lined with baking parchment/greaseproof paper.
5. Flatten out using your hands and break up with a spoon. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, flipping around 3-4 times at intervals to ensure even cooking.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool to crisp up further.
7. Pour over your favourite milk alternative to serve.

Tagged as: breakfast, cereal, maple syrup, quinoa, vegan, wheat free