I mentioned this yummy breakfast treat the other morning and received so many requests for the recipe, I’ve decided to oblige. So here it is – Creamy Quinoa Breakfast Pudding!
But first, before I get to the recipe, let me give a quick crash-course on the magic of quinoa, for all of you quinoa virgins out there.
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a small, round, whole-grain, that comes from the Chenopodium plant (above), and is a protein POWERHOUSE. It is the only grain that contains all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Vegetarians rejoice! It is also gluten-free (gluten is the protein found in food grains), making it an excellent and nutritious grain option for those with gluten-sensitivities. It’s even been said that “while no single food can supply all of the essential life-sustaining nutrients, it comes as close as any other in the vegetable or animal kingdom.”
It only takes about 15 minutes to cook 1 cup of quinoa, but before you toss it in the pot, make sure you first rinse it thoroughly. Quinoa is covered with a bitter residue, called saponin, which causes the quinoa to taste very unpalatable if not rinsed before it is cooked.
Two options for rinsing: 1) Use a small-screened sieve, or 2) if you don’t have one of those, try placing a coffee filter inside your pasta strainer. Just be sure whatever you do, the strainer holes are small enough so that the quinoa kernels don’t slip through and slide down the drain (Ah! Not wasted quinoa! What a crime!).
So what do you do with it? Eat it! To be more specific (and less snarky), quinoa is often served as a side-dish in place of rice, or as a fresh, cool, and crisp quinoa salad.
THIS recipe however, turns your run-of-the-mill quinoa side-dish on its head.
Try it in place of your boring morning oatmeal mush next time you want an extra satiety boost from all that protein. The recipe makes a whopping 6 servings, so make up a batch on Sunday night, and you’ll have a protein-packed breakfast treat for the rest of the week! I chose to use Unsweetened Almond Milk in my recipe (only 40 calories per cup!) but feel free to get creative and try using apple juice, orange juice, vanilla soy milk – whatever makes your taste buds smile!
Creamy Quinoa Breakfast Pudding
Prep Time 10 Min
Cook Time 30 Min
Ready in 40 Min
INGREDIENTS
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 cup dried cranberry/pomegranate mix (or raisins)
1 apple (chopped)
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Splenda to taste
DIRECTIONS
Place quinoa in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Drain, then place quinoa in a saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pan with lid, lower heat, and allow to simmer until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Mix in Unsweetened Almond Milk, dried cranberry/pomegranate mix, chopped apple, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes longer until it resembles the consistency of oatmeal. Stir in vanilla extract.
Serve warm along with some fresh O.J. for a yummy, protein-packed breakfast delight! Enjoy!
Happy Snacking,
♥Lindsey
