What’s your favorite healthy chocolate companion? According to the Chocolate Lover’s Club, it goes with just about anything and they reference some unusual combinations from seafood and cheese to roasted cauliflower. Hmm. Before I reveal my choice, I want to thank the Recipe Redux team for this timely February topic, because I’m using it to multitask (in a time management kinda way):
1. Believe it or not, it’s an inspiration for cleaning out my pantry. Yep, using up chocolate leftover from Valentine’s Day (as well as some other ‘nearly gone’ ingredients; what else can you do with 2 tablespoons of red quinoa anyway?)
2. And yes, I ‘m trying to make amends for the Valentine’s Day Treat (no bake chocolate mousse) that didn’t score me any brownie points. Geeze.
Maybe ‘the man’ will like this…my favorite chocolate combination…
dark chocolate + granola . Here are the dry ingredients I used…
So 2 tablespoons of this, and a quater cup of that…. what a thrifty way to polish off small portions of pantry staples. And at the last minute, I added what I now consider the secret ingredient ..za’atar. Ever since I used this spice blend in my Mediterranean Dip I’ve been yearning to try it in granola. It’s an aromatic blend of sumac, sesame seeds, dried thyme, salt, and other spices. The label states it goes best with lamb, chicken, fish and veggies. So, what about chocolate? It’s the bomb! Which means.. this month I’m one for one. I’ll take it. Ok, so now that I’ve got my family happily munching away on a delicious snack, how about nutrition? This is no more or no less healthier than most other granolas. Really. Close to 100 calories in 2 Tablespoons, 5 grams of fat, 2 grams protein, low in cholesterol , low in sodium and a very good source of manganese. So here’s the bottom line: if you like the taste of dark chocolate, and you want the heart healthy benefits of plant flavanols, please enjoy this one mindfully. Don’t forget to check out the links at the bottom of this post for more healthy chocolate pairings from my friends and colleague members of the Recipe Redux.
What’s your chocolate philosophy? Do you think it goes with everything?
Dark Chocolate Granola with Za’atar
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons red quinoa
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (to make gluten free, gluten free label)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon za’atar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg white (omit for vegan)
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil (or coconut oil for paleo diet)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate, broken into bite sized pieces
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Rinse quinoa and add to a medium bowl with the next four dry ingredients.
3. whisk egg white and oil and add to oat mixture along with honey and vanilla. Stir well to combine.
4. Spread oat mixture into a thin layer on a baking sheet lined with nonstick foil. 5.Bake, stirring every 10 minutes until golden. (20-25 minutes)
6. Allow to cool completely befoe adding raisins and dark chocolate. Serve or store in an air tight container.
Wow, what a cool idea!
I seriously love the addition of Za’atar! Totally creative and totally something I would love!
I am so intrigued – I would never have thought to pair Za’atar and chocolate! Brilliant idea Diane!!
Thanks Shashi. Za’atar is incredibly versatile; hope you give it a try!
I’ve not bought or used Za’atar before. You’ve inspired me to buy some and start experimenting.
Excellent! Have fun!
Dark chocolate and za’atar sounds amazing! I would have never thought to put the two together, but now that you have, it completely makes sense. And I want some of that granola! Hope you’re having a great weekend 🙂
Thanks, Genevieve! Hope you give it a try becasuse it’s earthiness is great a great accompaniment to any trail mix or granola.
This looks like the perfect snack to bring on a hike. Haven’t tried Za’atar yet, this might just be the way to do it!
Hi Lauren, You’re right, it’s a great travel or hiking snack! Hope you give it a try.
Love all the “bits” and “pieces” you used up to make this granola! I have to be honest, I finally bought some Za’atar, but I’m a little on the fence about it. I definitely need to try it again in your yummy looking granola 🙂
Thanks, E.A. It maybe related to what you’re trying it on. The earthiness of za’atar is a great match with granola or trail mix.