Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) and also known as “little rice” is an ancient food grown mainly in Peru, Chile and Bolivia. The ancient Incas called quinoa the “mother grain” and revered it as sacred. Quinoa is actually a seed and not a grain but is substituted for grains because of it’s cooking characteristics and versatility in cooking. Quinoa is high in protein and amino acids making it a much healthier alternative to other grains like wheat, barley, rye and spelt. The seeds are used in creating various soups and bread, and also fermented with millet to make a beer-like beverage. Quinoa is also gluten free which makes is an awesome alternative for those who are celiac or gluten sensitive. The most common method of preparing quinoa is boiling it with water and simmering till the grain turns light and fluffy. However, it is very versatile and you can add your favorite ingredients to make yummy vegan quinoa breakfast recipes. Before actually cooking, you need to remove saponins by soaking grains in water for a few hours. After that, rinse soaked quinoa grains several times under running water. You can skip this preparatory step of soaking and rinsing grains, if you purchase box quinoa that is a bit costlier. Following are some healthy quinoa breakfast recipes, which you can try out: Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa Recipe I used a red quinoa here, but you can use whatever kind you like, white/buff colored seems to be the most common. Also, a few notes and tips from the book: low-fat soy milk may replace the low fat milk, blueberries may replace the blackberries, dark honey may replace the agave nectar, and walnuts may replace the pecans. 1 cup organic Almond milk or Coconut milk 1 cup water 1 cup organic quinoa, (note: rinse quinoa) 2 cups fresh blackberries, organic preferred 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted 4 teaspoons organic agave nectar, Combine almond / coconut milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in blackberries and cinnamon; transfer to four bowls and top with pecans. Drizzle 1 teaspoon agave nectar over each serving. Recipe adapted from www.101cookbooks.com Easy Quinoa Breakfast Cereal Recipe Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa (washed and rinsed)
- 1/2 cup apple (thinly sliced)
- 1/3 cup seedless raisin
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions for Preparation Prepare quinoa by soaking and rinsing for 2 – 3 times. Add it in a saucepan and add water. Cook it at high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover lid and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in apples, seedless raisins and cinnamon. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until water is absorbed completely. Serve this quinoa breakfast recipe with soy milk and honey. Recipes adapted from www.buzzle.com