Quinoa for Breakfast: Part 1

 

I've loved quinoa since I first encountered the little colorful curly-Q's. It's so much more interesting as a base for a dish than the old standby, white rice. However, until recently, I hadn't considered the merits of quinoa over oatmeal. This post is part one of the story of quinoa for breakfast.

Quin-whaa?

The Wikipedia article on quinoa states, "Quinoa (pronounced /ˈkinwɑ/ KEEN-wah or /ˈkinoʊə/ KEE-no-uh, Spanish quinua, quínoa, or quinoa) is a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium) grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal as it is not a grass. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited."

A) Do I really want to eat goosefoot? FYI: The other species of goosefoot include Kañiwa, Fat Hen, Good King Henry, and Epazote. Why don't we see these on the market? I love the idea of vegetarians eating their stir fry over Fat Hen.

B) If people are growing quinoa, there must be leaves. How do I get to try them?

Quinoa Varieties

According the insert in my box of quinoa, quinoa comes in over 1,800 varieties. The one I used was Inca Red quinoa. Since I was going to be putting apples in the quinoa, I thought that red would work nicely. The photo to the left is of rainbow quinoa. I found it in a UK seed catalog. It actually grows in multiple colors. Move over, Lucky Charms!

Why Quinoa for Breakfast?

It's Taste & Create time again. This time, I was paired with A Southern Grace. She made my sweet potato casserole cupcakes (here's her version) sound so good that I want to make them again right now! She used homegrown sweet potatoes from her grandpa's garden. Yum!

The recipe that immediately caught my eye on her site was cinnamon apple quinoa. I like cinnamon apple anything and I know that Bride and Groom 2.0 are looking for fall flavor combinations. I concluded that cinnamon apple quinoa would make for a great cupcake flavor.

Cinnamon Apple Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

If you are a hot cereal person and are looking for something different for breakfast, definitely give quinoa a go! The recipe for the cinnamon apple quinoa on A Southern Grace was a great start to a great breakfast. However, like your bowl of oatmeal, everyone is going to have their preparation preferences. I'd recommend using this as a starting point.

Here is the recipe from A Southern Grace with the changes I made. Because there are just two of us here, I adjusted the recipe to make two big bowls.

• 1 C uncooked quinoa
• 2 C water
• .5 t salt
• 2 C apples (I used double the amount of apples that she used. You could also use any other fruit that you like. I tossed in a handful of raisins.)
• 1 t cinnamon

1. Rinse quinoa under cold water until the run-off is clear. (This step may not be necessary for you. My quinoa came pre-rinsed so this was not needed.
2. Bring the water to a boil with the salt.
3. Add quinoa. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Fluff the quinoa and let sit covered for another 10 minutes.
5. Peel and chop apples. Cook them however you like. I went the lazy route and stuck them in the microwave for 2 minutes.
6. Add apples and cinnamon to the quinoa.
7. Add whatever other flavors you typically like in your oatmeal. My husband and I had one bowl with maple syrup and one with honey.

In Part 2: Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Cupcakes