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.
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
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.