Creamy and hearty, I mixed mine with nuts, dried fruit and coconut.
Quinoa Porridge
It’s recently occurred to me that I have a quinoa problem. My problem is that quinoa is that thing that I buy whenever I go to the store. Does anyone else have supermarket amnesia? You know: “I think I needed quinoa. Did I buy it last time? I should buy some.”
If the apocalypse comes, we will survive on my quinoa stockpile.
I have been in desperate need of some new quinoa recipes. I mean, you can’t make a dent in the world’s supply of quinoa with one or two side dishes. I needed a bigger plan.
I told the Tiny Kitchen Assistant that I was going to try a new kind of oatmeal for breakfast. He’s already on board with rolled oats or steel cut on most mornings, but I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about starting his day with “the other couscous,” as he calls it. So naturally, I decided to flat-out lie. Hey, do you want to have a morning argument with a 5-year-old? Neither do I.
Here’s what I came up with. As written, it’s enough to serve 4 on a weekend and takes about 30 minutes to make. I’d halve it during the week.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained (rinsing instructions here)
- 2 cups milk, divided
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of cloves
- Pinch of salt
- Your favorite mix-ins
Thick like a porridge. You can see how it boils up every single time.
Instructions
Bring the quinoa, 1 cup milk and 1 cup water to a boil. It gets incredibly foamy and will boil over if you’re not watching it. You’ve been warned.
Reduce heat to low, cover and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Add cinnamon, cloves, salt and remaining 1 cup milk and return to a boil. Again, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 10 more minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the quinoa takes on a thicker, more porridge-y texture.
Remove from heat and serve with your favorite mix-ins. The Tiny Kitchen Assistant prefers honey, more cinnamon, frozen blueberries and slivered almonds. I opted for brown sugar, chopped macadamias, dried blueberries and a bit of coconut. I liked mine better, but then I like almost anything with coconut.
I’d generally reserve this for a weekend because I don’t usually have 30 minutes to spend at the stove before school.
Results
“Isn’t it funny how different kinds of oatmeal can taste so different?” asked the Tiny Kitchen Assistant. “Regular oatmeal tastes completely different from overnight oatmeal, and overnight oatmeal tastes completely different from this. Weird, huh?” Hmmm, yes. Yes it is.
It’s not bad at all. It definitely has a richer, more grainy flavor than oatmeal, but has a consistency that’s closer to steel cut oats. It’s gluten free and could easily be vegan if made with soy or rice milk.
Do you have any other quinoa recipes that you’d like to share? Because I have plenty of quinoa left to use.
Tags: breakfast, gluten-free, meatless, quinoa, Recipe, whole grain
Cooking
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Health
I can never remember if I need quinoa either. This looks really good. When our stuff FINALLY comes from the movers on Wednesday and we get unpacked (they have all of our dry food) I’ll have to try it. This quinoa pudding was pretty good, though I ate mine with lots of added cinnamon rather than dried fruit: http://www.wholeliving.com/130406/quinoa-pudding?rsc=lpg_eat-well_recirculation And this broccoli quinoa casserole was really good: http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/blast-from-the-past-with-a-new-twist/
Interesting recipe. Try soaking your quinoa overnight, after washing it thoroughly and getting the milky color out. Also, you could toast it before starting the soak for different flavor. Add different grains to it that have been washed thoroughly and toasted. This should cut your cooking time. To cook in the AM still need to add some water, or try apple juice/cider. The theory being the same as with the oatmeal cooked with apple juice/cider. It sweetens but one can still use the milk/rice milk and so forth. He may also like either hemp milk or almond milk – almost like using cream as these are thicker texture than rice milk. Soy in our house is a no-no.
With a kitchen assistant as yours, the challenges would be fun and exasperating.