Quinoa porridge with cinnamon, coconut and fresh fruits
If you’ve read more of my recipes, you’ll know I love quinoa. When boiled, it’s good in sweet as well as savoury dishes; when ground, it makes a flavoursome gluten free alternative to wheat flour and when rolled, the flakes make a fibre rich addition to muesli and a sweet and crunchy porridge topping. It’s a good source of complete protein, iron and magnesium as well as slow-releasing carbs. And turned into creamy quinoa porridge topped with nuts and fruits, it makes a delicious start of the day.
A common problem when preparing quinoa is that the cooked result can have a bitter taste. The reason for this is that during growth, the seeds are naturally coated with saponin, a bitter-tasting protein which discourages birds and insects from eating them. When quinoa is harvested, the husks with the saponin on it are removed before packaging, but remnants that found their way into the package can still cause an unpleasant taste. Fortunately, the solution for this is simple. Just rinse the uncooked seeds in a sieve under cold running water. Once rinsed, any bitterness in the cooked quinoa will be gone, leaving only a lovely nutty flavour.
The oatmeal in my previous breakfast post was unsweetened and got its flavour from the sweet baked apple and crumbly quinoa topping. In this week’s breakfast the quinoa is flavoured with cinnamon, grated coconut and maple or agave syrup, so all it needs to top it are some nuts and fresh fruits of your choice.
In this case I chose baked almond shavings and sliced fresh plums. If you’re in the mood for a completely warm breakfast, you can make the plum slices extra sweet and soft by brushing them with a little oil and briefly griddling or frying them. Fresh banana slices and roughly chopped walnuts make a quick sweet and soft alternative.
I wish you a wonderful start to your day!
Quinoa porridge with cinnamon, coconut and fresh fruits – serves 3
Ingredients
- 275 g quinoa
- 750 ml boiling water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp. grated desiccated coconut
- 2 tbsp. maple or agave syrup
- fruits and nuts of your choice, for example:
- 2 plums, sliced, and 60 g almond shavings, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
- 3 bananas, sliced, and 100 g roughly chopped walnuts
Preparation
Tip the quinoa into a sieve and thorougly wash the seeds under cold running water. Put the rinsed quinoa into a pan, together with the boiling water and the cinnamon stick. Bring the water back to the boil and leave the quinoa to simmer for 15 minutes. All of the water will be absorbed by then and the quinoa will be fluffy and creamy.
Take the pan off the heat and remove the cinnamon stick. Stir through the grated coconut and the syrup, then divide the porridge over three bowls.
Top with the nuts and fruits of your choice and enjoy!
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