Soul Food Sunday...

We (don't ask me how, but I convinced Farmer Mick to participate too) have decided to go 'full' gluten free and by full, I mean no cheeky pseudo-grains or store-bought gluten free bread but the full hog. Naturally, the bulk of this task has fallen on my shoulders so I've been tinkering with recipes in an attempt to spice up our kitchen cupboard staples.

I feel much better and my tummy always thanks me when I avoid gluten but being married to a man who grew up on an organic wheat farm means there is always gluten in our house. Don't get me wrong, I don't think gluten is a dirty word but if you really research it, it hasn't got a whole lot of health benefits but it is closely linked to a lot of dis-eases out there, namely autoimmune diseases.

I wanted to convince Farmer Mick that every meal doesn't have to contain gluten. So starting with breakfast I introduced him to my special muesli blend. Unbeknownst to Farmer Mick, I have been making my muesli for sometime now. It's always struck me as odd that he's never bothered to even try my muesli but nonetheless, I wasn't going to force feed it to him either. To be honest, I was actually quite happy making muesli for one...but seeing him jump out of bed soooo excited to eat my muesli, well I'm happy to make it for two now :)

These deliciously golden nuts, seeds and grains that his beloved Weetbix are a breakfast of the past. The toasted rice flakes give this blend a lovely texture and unique crunch. 

There are no right or wrong quantities with this particular blend, and mine changes each time I make it based on what I have in the pantry (ok and my commercial kitchen) but honestly you can throw pretty much anything in this mix and it will always taste good!

Trust me, you will be so excited to eat breakfast now that sleep-ins will be a thing of the past too!

INGREDIENTS
Dry ingredients

• 2 cups rice flakes
• 1/2 cup popped quinoa
• 1/4 raw buckwheat
• 1/4 linseeds
• 1/4 popped rice
• 1 cup Barenuts Natural Macadamias
• 1/2  pistachios
• 1/2 hazelnuts
• 1/2 walnuts
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 pepitas
• 1/4 sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

wet ingredients

• 3/4 cup Barenuts Macadamia Nut Oil  
• 4 tablespoons good quality honey or maple syrup (or you can use a bit of both)
  
  

Note: Any mixture of nuts works well this in recipe.
You can also add dried fruit to this mix as well - cherries or apricot are our faves.

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Stir through the wet ingredients until everything is well coated. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients in a large bowl until the mixture is moistened.
2. Spread the mixture evenly onto a baking tray.
3. Bake for 25 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of baking, give mixture a shake or a stir.
4. Remove muesli from the oven, don’t stir it right away – leave to cool and small clusters will form. 
5. Once cooled, store in an airtight container or glass jar.
6. For the ultimate breakfast, top with your favourite fresh fruit, yogurt, nut milk + Barenuts Macadamia Nut Butter.