“What’s for Lunch?” Healthy Recipe Series #13 - Quinoa & Berry Breakfast Cereal

The past few days I have been trying to eat something both filling and healthy for breakfast. While I have nothing against the oatmeal I ate, it gets mundane after the third day and I felt the need to change up my morning routine! That’s when I pulled out my favorite recipe book - Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Roberto Martin - and found this recipe for a Quinoa & Berry Breakfast Cereal!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup milk (almond, soy, or rice)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup raisins or craisins
• 1.5 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup blackberries or strawberries
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans or sliced almonds

Instructions:

1. Combine the quinoa, nondairy milk, water, cinnamon, and dried fruit in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook until mixture simmers then cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking until liquid has absorbed into the quinoa (10-15 minutes).
3. Stir in remaining ingredients and let cereal rest for 5 minutes.
4. Eat up!

Quinoa is a tricky ingredient for me to use - it takes getting used to in order to know how to prepare it and how long to cook it. Many times I’ve made the mistake of undercooking it and enduring the tasteless crunch.

One thing I learned through experience is to rinse quinoa before cooking it. Apparently this will remove the excess “saponins” on the outside of the grain which can leave a bitter flavor behind. You can also toast quinoa on the stovetop for about a minute in order to bring out a more nutty flavor - just add a drizzle of oil to the pan along with your rinsed quinoa.

But for all the finesse cooking quinoa requires (at least for me), it is a good alternative to oatmeal. According to Martin, “quinoa contains twice as much fiber and protein, and the colors are so beautiful that they will help jump-start your day.”

I didn’t have agave nectar so I switched it out with some maple syrup. I also replaced the blackberries with raspberries because of personal preference. You can also use dairy milk and honey if you don’t mind it being non-vegan! I feel pretty darn healthy starting my day this way!