Vegan Breakfast Quinoa!

Gooood morning! So, y'all may not be aware of this, but I absolutely hate oatmeal. I cannot stand the stuff. Rolled oats on top of an apple crisp? Lovely! Oats in granola? Fantastic! Oats cooked in milk or water into a slimey, inedible muck? Noooo, thanks.

Because I hate oatmeal, but want desperately to enjoy it (or something very similar), I've been searching for hot cereal alternatives and have found one really, really great one: QUINOA! This recipe combines quinoa and amaranth into a whole-grain, protein-packed hot cereal base, which you can freely customize with your choice of fruits and nuts. Here's how I did mine this morning. This recipe makes kind of a lot, so you might want to split it with someone or save the leftovers!

1/4c dry quinoa

1/8c dry amaranth

~1/2c soy milk + a few tablespoons water or orange juice

1tbsp applesauce

pinch of salt

teaspoon maple syrup

1-2tbsp oat bran, wheat bran, or wheat germ (I used oat bran today)

2tbsp whole rolled oats (These really make the whole dish cohesive. Can't taste 'em though)

2tbsp organic dried dates

1tsp organic raw shelled pumpkin seeds

1tbsp organic walnuts

Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc.-- your choice of spices

Half an apple, cut into manageable pieces; I've also used peaches and bananas so far with great success!

Instructions:

1. Stir the first group of ingredients together in a small pot. Heat over medium-low for about 5-8 minutes, or until the quinoa begins to soften. You'll know it's softening when you notice a transparent ring around its white center.

2. Add the second batch of ingredients after the quinoa has begun to soften. Stir to incorporate very well, reduce heat a tad, then simmer another 5 minutes until quinoa is almost totally transparent, and is no longer dry and crunchy (try a small spoonful to check this).

3. Remove from heat, stir in apples or fruit of your choosing, and serve!

I made a big batch of this ahead of time, sans fruit, so I can just heat it up quickly in the mornings with soy milk and add the fruit. Soooo glad I did! Saves me a ton of time and I get a delicious, extremely nutritious, vegan breakfast in about 2 minutes. Enjoy!!