Quinoa for breakfast is a great way to get in your whole grains to start the day and is a nice change from the typical bowl of oatmeal
I love love love breakfast, and I get on these kicks where I eat the same breakfast every single day for like a year.
My senior year in college and the first year I was in graduate school, I had a bowl of oatmeal and a few egg muffins {or a hard-boiled egg} every day.
That's two years, friends... Two years of the same breakfast pretty much every single day {minus some weekends}.
Needless to say, I got a little tired of oatmeal.
But oatmeal is so good for you. It gives you heart-healthy soluble fiber which is great for helping to lower your cholesterol. It also has some protein, especially if you make it with milk.
Unfortunately, seeing or even thinking about eating another bowl of oatmeal made me want to gag, so 1) I gave myself a month-long oatmeal break and 2) I came up with an oatmeal alternative: Quinoa
It's whole-grain food. In fact, I don't even know if they make a non-whole grain version, so there's no issue with trying to find the whole grain version {unlike so many other grains like flour, for example}.
Not only is it a whole grain, but it also has a reasonable amount of protein. That's pretty cool trait to have when you're navigating through the plethora of grains.
A lot of people eat mostly carbohydrates at breakfast, and while carbs aren't a bad thing, you need a little protein at breakfast {and every meal for that matter} to keep you going all morning. So quinoa it is.
Another good thing about quinoa is that it can typically be tolerated by those that must follow a gluten-free diet, so if that is a concern for you then quinoa is a great choice {but make sure to check your package for a gluten-free label}.
I'm making quinoa for breakfast, and I think you should too.
It's pretty similar to oatmeal, but it's not oatmeal. And while I do get tired of things, I like a breakfast routine, so this is perrrrrfect.
Milk helps boost the protein content and add extra flavor. I use 2% since you will be heating it and don't want it to break down {like skim milk sometimes does}. Warming cinnamon, a touch of salt {to enhance the sweet flavor}, some vanilla extract, and a little bit of maple syrup morph this hearty grain or lunchtime staple into a breakfast-worthy meal.
I like to sprinkle it with a few chopped nuts and/or berries. I also drizzle a tiny bit of extra maple syrup on top just for good measure {about 1 teaspoon extra per serving} but that's just a personal preference.
This is really adaptable to your taste, so use honey instead of maple syrup, coconut milk instead of regular milk, almonds instead of peanuts, anything goes here. Enjoy!
Breakfast Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cup milk 2%, whole, non dairy
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup chopped nuts optional
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa well in a fine mesh strainer.
- Stir together quinoa and milk, and heat over medium-low. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to very low.
- Cover, and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has absorbed. Stir in cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Transfer to bowls and sprinkle with chopped nuts, if using.
Rachael@AnAvocadoADay says
Yummy I love breakfast quinoa! Have you cooked with amaranth before? It's like quinoa but has an even creamier, porridge consistency. So yummy!
Meme says
Thanks Rachael! I haven't cooked with amaranth before but I'll have to remedy that! Sounds delish 🙂