Remember I made that cinnamon applesauce recently? It is so sweet and delicious it seems like dessert, even though it has just a touch of brown sugar in it. I thought I'd take advantage of that sweetness by mixing it into some breakfast quinoa. Get all the protein you need from the quinoa, the calcium from the milk, and the sweetness from the applesauce. Plus, as a bonus for those of you on special diets, you can rejoice in the fact this hearty breakfast is gluten-free and vegan! (as long as you use non-cow milk, duh) And why not make it organic? Just buy organic quinoa, organic milk-of-sorts and organic apples. Now that's a breakfast you can feel good about!
You will need:
- 1 cup of rinsed quinoa
- 2 cups of some variety of milk (whole, skim, coconut, soy, almond, etc)
- cinnamon apple sauce (or you can just use brown sugar and cinnamon)
Heat the milk in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Once the milk simmers, add the quinoa. Give it a stir, then cover it and let it simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. I had to keep an eye on mine because I used a too-small saucepan and I was afraid the milk froth would boil over. The quinoa will start to absorb the milk and the mixture will thicken. Once the quinoa has absorbed a majority of the milk, stir in three heaping tablespoons of cinnamon applesauce. Let the quinoa continue to simmer. You'll know the quinoa is ready when you can see each grain has a little light-yellow string (for lack of a better word). Serve up the quinoa and pour some more applesauce on top.