It’s been a while since my last post, so I’m happy to finally be back with another recipe 🙂 Most of September I was on holiday in Indonesia and somehow I just didn’t have any time or energy to dedicate to my blog or food photography.

But never mind that now, let’s talk about these crunchy, deliciously sweet & salty, nourishing, comforting and super speedy Maca Peanut & Salted Date Quinoa Granola Crumbs. A serious mouthful. What is it exactly? Not chunky enough for granola, yet still kind of clumpy, I wasn’t quite sure what to call this mix (“grumps” came to mind, but didn’t have quite the appeal I was going for), so I settled for “granola crumbs”. They can be sprinkled on top of smoothie bowls or fresh fruit or eaten on their own with mylk, for a satisfying (and seriously addictive!) snack.

As to the flavors: Maca – a root native to South America that can be bought in powdered form in health food stores – is one of my favorite “superfoods”. Its taste is subtle yet powerful, mildly earthy but in a wonderfully sweet sense and it’s said to be “adaptogenic” (i.e. able to help the body deal with stressors and stabilize internal processes in a healthy way). It was also used by the Incas in Peru as a source of energy, nourishment and healing. I personally also find it to have a very “happy” flavor, if that makes any sense 🙂

In this recipe I’ve paired the maca with dates for sweetness, adding a bit of salt to evoke a salted caramel-like aroma, as well as my beloved peanut butter, as I find maca and peanuts are best friends. Here goes:

Maca Peanut & Salted Date Quinoa Granola Crumbs

Ingredients

• 100g fine oats
• 20g puffed quinoa
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
• 2 tbsp maca powder *
• a good pinch or two of salt
• 100g soft dates, blended**
• 2 1/2 tbsp “clumpy” peanut butter (if yours is runny, you may need less)
• optional: 1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean

* The maca I used is from Iswari Suisse, whom I have been collaborating with for several months and whose products I love.

** The dates must be soft. If your dates are dry try soaking them in hot water first and draining, before blending.I use the Sukari pitted dates from Dattelmann (international website), which are gorgeously squidgy. They’re already pitted and (super) soft. Perfect for snacking or using in baking/cooking. Using their pre-prepared date paste is even easier! You can get 15% off items not already on sale with the discount code “blueberry15” {brand collaboration}.

Method

1. Mix together the oats, puffed quinoa, ground flaxseeds, maca powder, salt (and vanilla, if using).
2. Add the dates (mine are so soft I can simply squish them by hand) and peanut butter and combine the mixture by hand.
3. Heat in the preheated oven at 160°C (fan) until golden. Note: keep an eye on the oven – it only took me about 6 minutes, and one of the first batches almost burned!
4. Remove from the oven, leave to cool before storing in an airtight container (ideally in the fridge) or sprinkling on top of your smoothies.

Enjoy!

Feel free to tag @blueberrysmiles22 if you share your creations on Instagram, so I can share in the joy 🙂