"Muesli-making was always my dad's domain when we were little. Late at night he would set himself up in the kitchen, toasting and chopping like a mad man, before decanting the goods into his giant glass muesli jar. I remember him saying how expensive it was to make but, and this is a huge BUT, homemade muesli beats that store-bought sweetened stuff hands down. This is my favourite version, and it's filled to the brim with the goodness of quinoa flakes, shredded coconut, nuts, and fruit all bound together in a sweet (but not in-your-face-sweet) mixture of coconut oil, tahini, honey, and orange zest. To keep things strictly mean you can use pure maple or brown rice syrup in place of the honey. Also, whole-grain oats can be used in place of the quinoa flakes."
— From My Darling Lemon Thyme: Recipes from my Real Food Kitchen by Emma Galloway (Roost Books, 2015)
Makes 1.5kg | 2 pounds
INGREDIENTS (please see below and the note for my changes)
5 cups | 500 g quinoa flakes
2 cups |180g unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut (I use both)
1/2 cup | 65g cashews, roughly chopped
1/2 cup | 75g whole raw almonds, roughly chopped (I use flaked)
1/2 cup | 65g pumpkin (pepita) seeds
1/2 cup | 60g sunflower seeds
1/4 cup | 35g sesame seeds
1/3 cup | 80ml virgin coconut oil
1/3 cup | 80ml un-hulled tahini
1/3 cup | 80ml honey, pure maple or brown rice syrup (I use maple)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
The finely grated zest of 2 oranges
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup | 200g natural raisins or sultanas
1 1/2 cups | 165g dried cranberries
1 cup | 95g firmly packed dried apple slices, roughly chopped
1/2 cup | 80g pitted dried dates, roughly chopped
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Combine quinoa flakes, coconut, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower and sesame seeds in a large bowl using your hands to combine thoroughly. Combine coconut oil, honey or syrup, tahini, vanilla, orange zest and sea salt in a small pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring constantly until melted and combined. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.
Transfer to a large deep baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until toasty and golden brown. Watch those edges like a hawk as they have a tendency to burn. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Stir in the dried fruit and transfer to a large glass jar or airtight container. Will keep for 2-3 weeks as long as airtight.
NOTE FROM TARA:
Instead of quinoa alone, I used 3 cups rolled oats, 11/2 cups quinoa flakes, and 1/2 cup buckwheat groats. I tailored the fruit to my sons' preferences, using 1/2 cup sultanas, 1/2 cup chopped figs, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup dried blueberries, 1/4 cup minced candied ginger, and 1/2 cup pitted dried dates, chopped.