Crunchy Quinoa Granola

I cannot stop making this granola, it is so good!  We are traveling next week to Houston for Spring break and I am definitely making a batch or two to take with us for an easy airport snack or breakfast over Greek yogurt.  (I am open to any recs for things to do and see and places to eat in Houston too!)  This recipe comes from Two Peas and Their Pod.  I modified it a bit since we are not fans of super sweet foods while using whatever ingredients we had on hand.

Crunchy Quinoa Granola (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

• 3/4 cup Red Quinoa (The first time I made it, I used both white + red quinoa it turned out great.) 
• 2 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
• 1 cup Raw Almonds
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1/8 cup Brown Sugar
• 1.5 tablespoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 4oz container Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1 tablespoon Honey
• 1 tablespoon Soybean Oil
• 2 tablespoons Bourbon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Dried Cranberries, Blueberries and Mango Mix
• 1/4-1/3 cup Dried Goji Berries (You can get these super cheap at your local Asian market)

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper.  (I've used my Silpat mat and my granola is still a tad not crunchy even after leaving it in for 40+
minutes while stirring it every 10 minutes.  I have even reduced the applesauce and no dice.  So next time I am going to try the parchment paper.)

2. Rinse the quinoa under cold water and drain well.  In a large bowl, combine quinoa, oats, almonds, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together applesauce, honey, oil, and vanilla extract.  Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until combined.  Pour the granola evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until granola is golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes.

4. Take out of oven and stir in the dried cranberries, blueberries, mangos and goji berries. Let granola cool completely. Store in an air-tight container for up to one month. (Believe me it won't last this long!)

Notes:  If you are reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe, reduce the amount of salt.  I made this mistake the first time around.  It wasn't terrible enough to throw the batch away but at times I could taste the salt over the other flavors.  Also after letting the granola cool completely add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips for a special treat!