Breakfast Quinoa

Quinoa...

Pronounced keen-wah, it's a lovely little grain (or seed) which has lots of health benefits. It's full of protein, and has been proven to aid weight loss. I discovered quinoa earlier this year in my university kitchen, but didn't really cook with it that much. It can be a little bit of an effort to prepare, and takes far longer to cook than standard white rice (or if you're lazy like me, the 1minute uncle ben's rice packs). However, if made well, it can definitely be worth all the effort.

It's a grain used in savoury dishes, but I stumbled upon an awesome recipe for a Breakfast Quinoa, which replaces normal porridge oats with wholesome quinoa, and has added sweetness from fruits, sugars and cinnamon.

I've been trying to shed a few pounds in preparation for my sister's wedding in a couple of weeks time (eeeek, stress!). I'm basically cutting out carbs and other processed foods and just sticking to natural, protein-filled things. In this sense, quinoa is a bit of a god-send. It's Martha Stewart's recipe but I've adapted it a little. 

Ingredients (2-3 servings)

3cups skimmed milk

1 and a half cups of uncooked quinoa, rinsed.

between 1tsp and 1tbsp of Splenda (depending on how sweet you like it)

a pinch of cinnamon (1/3tsp - not too much)

lots of fresh fruit.

NOTE

You can alter the size of the portion easily, just make sure that the ratio of milk:quinoa remains 2:1. Everything else is constant and can be determined by your personal taste.

I love lots of fruit in my quinoa, you can choose anything. I had a couple of handfuls of strawberries, a load of blueberries and 3 plums cut up into small pieces. This made enough for me and my mum to share, plus some surplus to keep in the fridge for later, so don't worry about how much fruit there is; it evens out!

Clearly, I'm a fruit fan!

Method

Bring the milk to a boil in a small pan, and then bring the heat down to a simmer and throw in the rinsed quinoa. Stir and cover and cook for around 15-20 minutes, or until around 3/4 of the milk has been absorbed. 

At the start.

After the 15-20 minute mark, stir in the Splenda and cinnamon, cover again and cook for another 5-8 minutes.

I wish I had a perfume with this scent. It's just divine!!!!!

Once cooked, mix in a bit of the fruit (I used around half) and pour into a serving dish. Garnish with the rest of the fruit and more Splenda/cinnamon if you fancy. 

And voila, high protein and full flavoured Breakfast Quinoa!

It's yummy cold too. So if you're too full to finish your portion, cover it and put it in the fridge to finish later on in the day. 

It could also be served with honey or agave nectar (like a normal porridge), but I'm trying to cut the extra sweetness out of my diet so I went without.

Wedding is in 12 days. YIKES! Better get going!!!

J xx