Saturday, February 5, 2011

The Quinoa Bomb-Diggity Breakfast

And it all started with this

Does your current breakfast leave you unsatisfied? Are you consuming a sugary carb load that only leaves you hungry 30 minutes later? I suggest you change up your game a bit. Healthy breakfasts with more protein do not have to be all eggs or nut butters. Quinoa is a grain that contains more proteins than other grains. It is wheat and gluten free. I have fallen in love with it mainly because you can eat it at all times of the day, and as a main dish or a side. You can even have quinoa for breakfast. You must try my Quinoa Bomb-Diggity!

You will need:

1 cup quinoa (I used organic from Trader Joe's)
1 cup almond milk - can also substitute with cow's milk or soy milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted (please don't skip the toasting, the flavor is amazing)
Honey to taste

Strainer for rinsing quinoa
Begin by rinsing the quinoa. You must use a fine strainer or else all your grain will go down the drain. Put the quinoa, water, and milk in a medium sauce pan on high.

I live for unsweetened almond milk
No sugar. Most people don't realize how much sugar is in regular milk
 
Bring to a boil. Once boiling turn down to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the water/milk has been absorbed. Remove from heat and cover for about 5 minutes.




If you haven't already, toast your walnuts. The best way to do this is in a toaster oven for about 3-1/2 minutes. Toasting the walnuts adds an incredible flavor that really makes this dish.

I put my walnuts on a piece of foil and hit toast!

Stir in the cinnamon. I'll be honest, I used more cinnamon than I put in this recipe because I really like cinnamon but I know its not for everyone. I used 1/2 a tablespoon. Also stir in the blueberries and cranberries to get them warm and softened.



Spoon out into individual bowls. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Drizzle with honey. Enjoy.

Cooking notes: I highly recommend using unsweetened almond milk if you are trying to watch your diet. Even the 1% organic milk I feed my kids has 14 grams of sugar per serving. Make sure to also go easy on the honey. If you are really trying to restrict your sweets you can use stevia extract instead, but make sure you have tried it before as the taste isn't for everyone. Stevia extract is natural, and sugar and calorie free. You can't go wrong with blueberries, so you can always add more and skip the cranberries for less sugar as well.

7 comments:

  1. This sounds fantastic. Gonna give it a try. Thanks.

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  2. Hey Girl!
    I nominated you the Versatile Blogger award! Check out the link for what to do!
    http://www.beeswithhoney.com/2011/02/versatile-blogger-award/

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  3. I've given your blog an award. You can pick it up at: http://westerhold.blogspot.com/2011/02/2-awards.html

    april@Party of Five

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  4. Having a gluten free kidlet in the house, we are Big fans of quinoa! :> Though, I must admit, I've never had it for breakfast. Your Bomdiggity sounds great and something the kidlets would really like.

    Have you ever tried liquid Stevia? It doesn't have the metallic taste that some of the stevia powders do. The only drawback?? Its Expensive! But, its also very concentrated, so you only use a few drops and it does last quit awhile.

    Oh yea and load on the cinnamon...its a natural blood sugar stabilizer! My kidlets love it! Me? I love unsweetened almond milk...tastes great in coffee too! :>

    Thanks for stopping by & following, I'm following you now too! :>

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  5. I think that will be the family breakfast tomorrow! Looking forward to trying it :)

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  6. Do you ever use red quinoa? Agave syrup? Two nice ingredients to ply with in my book. I am hoping to develop a quinoa pudding (a la rice or bread pudding) for a treat; have you experimented with anything like that? OOO--maybe a quinoa BREAD, then a pudding made from IT?...Maybe I need to play in the kitchen this weekend...

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