Quinoa Cereal

Quinoa.....breakfast of champions.  You either love it, or you hate it.

I've had a difficult time with quinoa.  I want to like it, but I don't.  I've tried several recipes for quinoa as an entree, or part of a meal, and I am never thrilled with the results.  But I want to like it because it is so good for you.  It is a grain that contains all the amino acids that make it a complete protein. That's hard to find and we should all be eating it on a regular basis to up our nutrient quotient.

The other day I was reading yet another cooking magazine and I saw, for the second time, a recipe for quinoa cereal for breakfast or as part of a brunch. I was curious about it, wondering if I might actually like it when made like oatmeal.  I do love my oatmeal so I decided I would give it a try.

I was lucky because I picked a rainy day, when it's wet and cold outside and you don't want to leave the house, you just want comfort food and your jamies. The result was fantastic, and I loved it!  Yes I said love!  It is delicious, she says surprised.  I feel so much better because now I know I can eat it with regularity and get the health benefits of it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup quinoa
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup fresh berries
1 banana, sliced
Walnuts, small handful, chopped fine 

Rinse the quinoa and drain.  Heat the milk in a small saucepan, add the quinoa, bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a low simmer for about 15 minutes. Most of the milk will be gone, with just enough left to eat as cereal.  Remove from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Eat straight away!

This recipe is so flexible you can add anything you want.  Other items to add would be:  almonds, pecans, dried cranberries, raisins, diced apple.  Fresh fruit is great but you could also add frozen fruit.  If you have issues with sugar use stevia, or another sweetner like agave.  

You can also use any type of milk you like, from full fat to skim, or almond or soy milk.  Use what you like.  Of course the more fat in the milk the better the end product but if you shy away from full fat milk use whatever you have.

I hope you will give it try.  You just might be surprised too.

This recipe serves 2.