Confession: I am not a morning person.
In my opinion, being awakened by a beeping electronic device and forced to leave my warm cozy bed is downright criminal. It is no wonder then, that taking time to prepare a filling, healthy breakfast is not something I do as often as I should. Honestly, most weekday mornings, I’m lucky to leave the house with my face washed and hair brushed… Don’t judge. I’m not the only person who suffers from this, right?
As a late riser I’ve learned that the best way to ensure I eat something good in the morning is to prepare it the night before night. A PB&J or some overnight oats waiting for me in the fridge are a great way to make sure that I enjoy the most important meal of the day and don’t just scarf a granola bar on the bus. This quinoa berry bowl is a treat of the palate, offers loads of protein, and doesn’t take very long to prepare. It also keeps well overnight if you happen to be a sleepyhead like me.
[box]Quinoa Berry Bowl
- 1 cup almond milk (use soy, or real milk depending on what you like)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well (seriously, rinsing is important to remove any natural bitterness)
- 2 cups fresh berries (I used rasberries but any berry would work)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used pecan, but walnuts or almonds would also be great)
- 4 teaspoons agave nectar/honey/maple syrup or sugary deliciousness of your choice
Combine almond milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in berries and spices; transfer to four bowls and top with pecans. Drizzle 1 teaspoon agave nectar over each serving. Pour a little extra milk over the top if desired.
If you are making this the night before, I recommend preparing the quinoa without the berries, extra milk and agave, and refrigerating in a sealed container overnight. In the morning, reheat the quinoa and add all the fixin’s.
Serves 4.
Recipe Adapted from Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine, and found via 101cookbooks.com[/box]
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
YUM!
I am not a morning person during the winter! Like you said it is a crime to have to get out of my warm comfortable bed
Ayah you’ve put my cookie dough quinoa flakes to shame, this look amaaazing! I just bought some more quinoa and I am so on this. Do you think I can use frozen strawberries and let them sit a minute?
Well, it’s a good thing that breakfast isn’t a competition Gill!
You def can use frozen berries, in fact that’s a way to make the meal healthy, tasty, and even cheaper! I would just throw them into the quinoa during the last cooking stages.
There are morning people?
This looks like such a healthy breakfast.