Quinoa is a high protein, gluten free “grain” that cooks up in a matter of minutes. Interestingly, it’s not actually a grain, rather it’s the seed of a plant that is related to beets, chard, and spinach. It has a wealth of nutrients, making it a great option for a healthy meal. I like to make a big batch of quinoa bean pilaf on the weekend to last me all week.
I never considered eating it for breakfast until I saw a recipe for golden raisin quinoa pudding from one of the blogs I frequently read. Estela is the author of Weekly Bite. She is a registered dietitian and got her Master’s degree from Texas Woman’s University. I love reading about her daily life with two young daughters.
Using her recipe as inspiration, I made my own version of her quinoa pudding. Originally I thought of making a version with lime zest. As I was looking through the pantry I came across orange flavored cranberries. And as they say, the rest is history.
This is a great alternative to oatmeal in the mornings. It will keep you full from the fiber and protein all morning long!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 3 cups milk of your choice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Rinse the dry quinoa in cold water and drain.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine 2 cups of milk, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, dried cranberries and salt over medium heat. Add quinoa and stir everything together.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally.
- After about 15 minutes, stir in the remaining cup of milk.
- Cover and let simmer for another 10 minutes until most of the milk is absorbed.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
The pudding tastes best cold.
I like to drizzle it with almond milk and sprinkle extra cinnamon on top.
Notes:
*I used unsweetened almond milk, but I’ve also had great results with skim milk.
*Use orange flavored cranberries if you can find them.
*If the pudding is too dry when you are ready to eat it, add a splash of milk over the top.
*You can eat the pudding for breakfast as is, or layer it over plain greek yogurt for a tasty parfait. Heck, I even eat it for dessert.
What do you think of my new recipe format? I like the “print” button feature- something that I’ve been wanting for awhile. It doesn’t print the pictures so it keeps the recipe easy to read. Let me know your thoughts! Chris moved the site to a new host this weekend so we can customize it. We have been playing around with the site so you might be seeing a lot of changes. If you have any suggestions on what you want to see, please let me know. I really appreciate the feedback!