Creamy quinoa porridge with sweet golden sultanas is a comforting and nutritious start to the day.
I'm always looking for new breakfast ideas to get me out of the marmite on toast rut. I've seen sweet versions of quinoa before but never got around to trying it myself. Now that I have, I'm really not sure what took me so long. This porridge is creamy and sweet, and a really nutritious start to the day. Beats marmite on toast any day.
Breakfast needs to be easy, am I right, or am I right? This porridge is definitely easy but it does take a little longer to cook than regular oats. If you're an early riser, then no problem. If, like me, your morning is a last minute rush of trying to squeeze in every last minute of sleep, baby wrangling, packing school lunches and getting everyone out the door, then make it the night before.
This is ideally suited to cook while you're making dinner, or cleaning up the dinner dishes. Pop it in the fridge overnight, then add a bit more milk to loosen it (it'll thicken and firm up quite a lot when chilled) and warm it up again in a pan or in the microwave. Top with coconut flakes, nuts, sliced apple and a drizzle of maple syrup and you have a seriously satisfying breakfast lined up. It's also quite nice at room temperature so you could make this a portable breakfast to eat on the go too.
This breakfast will power your motor all morning with no trouble. It's high in protein and fibre, very high in magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin B6, and also has 50 per cent of the recommended daily intake for calcium, 35 per cent for iron, and 99 per cent for vitamin C (which will also help you absorb the iron).
This recipe makes two filling serves, or do as I did and serve smaller portions with a green smoothie on the side. Yes, I polished my breakfast halo that morning. If only I could keep it up every day of the week!
INGREDIENTS
For the porridge:
- 1 cup quinoa
- ½ cup orange juice (2 oranges freshly squeezed)
- 1 ½ cups almond milk or plant based milk of your choice
- ¼ cup golden sultanas
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp natural vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the topping:
- 2 tbsp coconut flakes
- 2 tbsp walnut pieces or use slivered almonds
- 1 apple sliced
- ½ cup almond milk
- Maple syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put the quinoa in a fine sieve and give it a good rinse under the kitchen tap.
- Add quinoa and all remaining porridge ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked the quinoa will be soft but still holding its shape, and most of the liquid will have been absorbed.
- If making the night before, put it in a sealed container and into the fridge.
- To serve, reheat if necessary and stir through a little more almond milk to get the porridge to your preferred consistency. Top with coconut flakes, nuts, sliced apple, a little more almond milk and a drizzle of maple syrup if desired.
I love quinoa porridge! This recipe sounds amazing, can't wait to try it.