oatmeal alternative January 28, 2010
Posted by molly in : breakfast , trackbackwhat’s the one thing that got you out of bed this morning? a piercing alarm? a beam of sunshine through your curtains? a drill on the road outside?
for me, it was the prospect of a warming breakfast – this cold weather is not particularly motivating. give me a bowl of something warm and a mug of something boiling and i’m up and about. i have mentioned before about oatmeal – making it fun and interesting, rather than a bowl of blah. but admittedly, i haven’t had oatmeal for breakfast in ages. probably since around the time i wrote that post.
no, i’ve moved onward and upward to something better. something that will guarantee plenty of energy to last you until lunchtime. something that won’t weigh you down.
i’m talkin’ bout QUINOA!
for breakfast? YES. i was convinced for two reasons: 1) my dad and his girlfriend swear by it every morning, and after trying it myself while visiting them, i was swayed, and 2) i finished reading food matters, and if it’s good enough for the bittman, it’s good enough for me!
the best part about having quinoa for breakfast is the preparation. you can cook up a huge quantity on monday morning, and have plenty of leftovers to keep in the fridge for the rest of the week. simply reheat a bowlful in the microwave. easy!
another added bonus is that it is A GLUTEN-FREE GRAIN as well as containing PROTEIN. winner 
breakfast quinoa
pictured above: this morning’s bowl, featuring reheated quinoa (which was cooked on monday with raisins and cinnamon), a chopped up cox apple, some ground flaxseed, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
the particulars:
- 1.5 cups quinoa
- 3 cups water (you may need a little bit more) – could also use milk here, but won’t keep as long in fridge
- optional: raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar, agave nectar, other dried fruits, nuts, spices, etc.
- put your quinoa and water in a large pot and bring to the boil. once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and leave for 20 minutes or so. stir every once in a while, and add more water if necessary. cooked quinoa will be light and fluffy, sort of like couscous.
- eat a portion right away and leave the rest to cool. once completely cooled, put into an air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to one week. microwave individual bowlfuls with a splash of hot water when needed for about 30-45 seconds. or simply eat cold! it’s still good!
toppings:
give any of these a try once you have your bowl of quinoa.
- chopped up apples with raisins, cinnamon/cloves, and a drizzle of maple syrup or agave nectar
- blueberries/raspberries/blackberries and yogurt (best with cold quinoa)
- dessicated coconut, banana, and cacao nibs (microwave altogether)
- nut butter (almond being the best!) and jam/berries
- dried cranberries or goji berries and toasted almonds
- warm apples and honey
let me know what you think!
Comments»
Yay, bring on the quinoa Molly. I love the stuff.
xx
I have a huge costco bag of this stuff. Good idea. I want to try right now. haha.
awesome! you should!
me too
Marissa has been on the gluten-free thing for about a month now (also vegan and dairy free), so quinoa is the bomb.
btw I was on Zooey D’s page the other day and saw that she had the same food allergies as you. I’m sure you knew that.
Saw 500 Days and Gigantic the same day and had a cute overload.
Thanks Molly. I eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning and it is very boring. Cara up there mentioned they sell it at Costco so i’ll go grab a bag and try it out!