Other indulgences /-/ Healthy Banana Brulee Quinoa Parfaits

Contrary to popular belief I do have to cut loose from baking and cooking sometimes. Do not get me wrong preparing and baking desserts, cake, pie etc. is incredibly satisfying; not to mention delicious (sometimes); however like all activities I cannot bake sweets 24/7. Sometimes the things I am craving are labelled as “vegan or health foods”



Yes I want to eat fresh fruit salads with mixed seeds and rice syrup. I like to drink my “greenier than green” rice milk smoothies with Chia and matcha powder. Sometimes a hearty warm salad of crunchy toasted nuts, seeds, balsamic roasted pumpkin and spinach is enough to sustain me as a complete meal. I call it channelling my inner “yuppie” into my food.

Not to mention I have a wide range of savoury indulgences that I do not report here. I have thing for cheese, eggs and bread in any form. Crunchy crackers and dip, watch out when Belinda’s munchies are about. 

I really do not understand why we have to separate foods into good and bad; black and white; sometimes and always. I am looking at you cookie monster *finger poke*
No matter how addicted you think you are to a food, I hardly expect you to eat that ONE thing all day, every day. Trust me I have tried (just as an experiment of course) AND!!! To all those people who think they are exception; lairs… just saying. Beat you are one of those people who say they do not pick their nose or fart too.



I really do not understand why we have to separate foods into good and bad; black and white; sometimes and always. I am looking at you cookie monster *finger poke*
No matter how addicted you think you are to a food, I hardly expect you to eat that ONE thing all day, every day. Trust me I have tried (just as an experiment of course) AND!!! To all those people who think they are exception; lairs… just saying. Beat you are one of those people who say they do not pick their nose or fart too.

So as a special treat, I am doing a very trendy breakfast parfait. It is all you expect from a Yuppie meal; Granola, thick Greek yoghurt, coconut sugar, fruit. It is the dessert bowl for virtuous eater or a very healthy meal for the normal people. However this is hardly boring as the contrast of crunchy, smooth, and chewy makes this completely suitable meal for any one and at any time. Breakfast for dinner? YES please!

 

This is my adaption upon Top with Cinnamon’s banana breakfast parfaits. How good does her one look? I definitely had to try it this week since I was in the yuppie food mood. However for mine, I used quinoa stove top granola and caramelised my fruits instead of the date puree. I burned each layer of banana with a crunchy coat of coconut sugar, with the final topping layer finished off with a crunchy sugar crust. It is like crème brulee but for fruit and yoghurt.

Granola occupies a special place in my heart; mainly because I can eat it and not have any one judge me for going through half a batch in one sitting. It is “SO HEalthly” they say. I laugh at it when people say that too me. Yes this not most virtuous granola recipe out their but it does have a lot of great things about granola but with a few tricks to keep it out of the dessert territory.
 

 
One thing for clumpy crunchies in granola  is to use very thick apple sauce, use a flax/chia egg in the mix per 2 cups of oats and soak your nuts and seeds in a small amount of nut milk before combing it with your grains. These all create a very sticky messy which looks scary but it does make your granola clump really well. Also who can argue with you when you can label it as low sugar? The quinoa is not obvious but adds to nutty flavour and helps gives the oats a bit more body. 


 
Flavour your how you like, I use a cinnamon and apple combo here because I find this one is most adaptable. Peach, pears, dates; you got it? Add in!

This can easily be made complete vegan if you sub out the yoghurt for a soy based one or nut milk based “cream”. So let’s get started!!



Base of granola



Next your bananas and sugar


 
Burn baby burn! ( but not too much)
 


Creamy dollop of yoghurt
 


Repeat as needed (aka. How hungry you are)

Banana Brulee Quinoa Parfaits 

Apple cinnamon quinoa crunchies (granola)
 
3 cups rolled oats
¾ cups uncooked quinoa, rinised
70g flake almonds
40g white sesame seeds
40g pumpkin seeds
30g LSA meal
30g roasted white sesame seed meal
~100ml-150ml Almond milk
90g rice syrup
4 Tbsp raw sugar
150ml apple sauce, thick
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
4 g salt
60g apple, dried, in small deice
2 Tbsp chia seeds mixed with 6 Tbsp hot water, sit for 5 minutes 


Pre heat oven to 150C. Line three trays with baking paper.
 
In a medium bowl combine sesame seeds, sesame seed meal, almonds, pumpkin seeds and LSA meal. 
Pour over nut milk and mix well till a thick paste develops. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Once the seed and nut has stood for 5 minutes add in apple sauce, sugar and syrup. Mix well.
 
In a large bowl combine your oats and quinoa. Mix in spices and salt. Mix in apples, nut/seed/ sugar mixture and chia egg. Combine the two until well mixed. Spread on to the trays in a thin but packed layer.
 
Transfer to oven and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, turning the trays every 15 minutes. Once brown enough and edges have crisped, turn off the oven and leave the granola trays inside over night to dry out. Transfer to an air tight jar once cool.
 
Assembly (use any jars or bowls) for the parfaits
 
I followed Top with cinnamon’s guide for layering but like I said in the intro I changed it by burning coconut sugar on the banana slices. You will need approx. 50g coconut sugar for 4 parfaits including 50g hard crack caramel for the 4 toppings. For 4 parfaits I used 2 bananas, 700g plain Greek yoghurt, and 1/3 of the recipe for the granola.