Horns blare! I’m so excited to introduce you to (doot dee doot) breakfast quinoa!
I discovered Joy’s quinoa breakfast recipe this week at just the right time. Eating quinoa for breakfast sounded both filling and delicious, and I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand: mango, milk, applesauce, almonds, and coconut. I woke up the next morning and cooked up quinoa for breakfast.
It turns out that breakfast quinoa is just as filling as oatmeal, and it’s just as easy to make and has endless variations. Quinoa has a nutty flavor that goes great with breakfast toppings and is a very nutritious way to start the day. Quinoa is a complete protein and is packed with vitamins and minerals.
Breakfast quinoa is the perfect way to use up leftover quinoa, and you can easily make it a vegan meal if you use almond, coconut, or soy milk instead of regular milk. I was so excited!
To cook quinoa, measure out a cup of the grains, pour them into a colander, and rinse them under water for a few minutes. Rinsing removes the bitter saponins on the surface of the quinoa. Then pour the rinsed quinoa into a pot and add two cups of water (the ratio of quinoa to water should be 1:2). Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, let rest for a few minutes, then fluff with a fork.
Some other quinoa breakfast recipes I found suggest cooking the quinoa with milk instead of water or a mixture of milk and water (such as this one on 101 Recipes). Emma at The Kitchn suggests cooking the quinoa in water as usual, then adding a cup of milk at the end and letting it cook a little. Both methods sound delicious, but I like to use leftover quinoa in other recipes, so I cook my quinoa in water. When I want quinoa for breakfast, I just pour the milk into a bowl.
I followed Joy’s advice and toasted the sliced almonds and unsweetened coconut in the oven, but it’s not necessary if you’re in a hurry. The almonds and coconut are delicious toasted or not
On Tuesday, I followed Joy’s recipe. I added warm quinoa, apple sauce (no sugar added) and milk to a bowl, and topped it with fresh mango, coconut and almonds. YUM.
On the next day, I heated up some quinoa, added it to a bowl with milk, and added thawed frozen blackberries, blueberries, coconut, almonds, and a pinch of balsamic vinegar. Delicious.
I cooked the quinoa today, mixed it with applesauce, and added milk. After that, I sliced a green apple and microwaved it with butter and cinnamon until it was soft. I then added coconut, almonds, and a bit of maple syrup to the quinoa.
Breakfast Quinoa
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
- 2 cups milk (or plant-based milk)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey (optional)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- Fresh fruit (like berries
- banana
- or apple slices)
- Chopped nuts or seeds (like almonds
- chia
- or sunflower seeds)
Instructions:
- In a medium saucepan
- bring the milk to a simmer
- Add the rinsed quinoa and cinnamon
- if using
- and stir
- Reduce heat to low and cover
- Let quinoa cook for 15-20 minutes
- or until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender
- Remove from heat and let it sit
- covered
- for 5 minutes
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork
- Stir in maple syrup or honey for sweetness
- Serve with fresh fruit and top with nuts or seeds