Nut-free Quinoa Granola Bars

It turns out being 27 is an awful lot like being 26.

It was my birthday this Tuesday, and I'm a terrible person and forgot to take a picture of the chocolate ganache and raspberry cake my son and mom made for me. But know what this means? We'll just have to make it again.

I've been a bit skiddish about food lately. Last week my body gave me the honour of my very first anaphylactic reaction to some Presidents Choice S'mores. (Have a nut or coconut allergy? Stay the fuck away from them, k?). 

While I no longer sound like a beached whale taking its last sad wheezy gasps for air, I am as paranoid about potential allergens as someone in my position should be. Which is why it's time to re-evaluate my clearly defective 'avoiding allergy' plan and start from square one.

Square one involves making pretty much everything from scratch, like these awesome nut-free quinoa granola bars. The best part? They won't kill me! The next best part? You can easily customize them to fit your own dietary needs, too.

Nut-free quinoa granola bars

Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup uncooked quinoa

2 tsp. cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

1/3 cup dried blueberries, or cranberries

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup honey

Directions:
(Feel free to skip the initial ingredient toasting)

Combine oats, seeds, quinoa, in a large bowl and mix well. Sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg on top of the mixture and mix, mix, mix.

Spread the granola evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 325F.  Remove and let the granola mix cool.

Heat honey in a saucepan with the spices. While it's warming, place the now coolish granola in a large bowl. Mix in more oats, the raisins, other dried berries. Then add the honey and stir until well combined. Pat down into a greased 9x13 pan, and bake for 18-20 minutes.