Recipe: Warm Breakfast Quinoa with Cinnamon Apples & Almonds

209 0 Breakfast, Fruit

Warm Breakfast Quinoa with Cinnamon Apples & Almonds
Warm Breakfast Quinoa with Cinnamon Apples & Almonds
Warm Breakfast Quinoa with Cinnamon Apples & Almonds

November 16, 2024

5/5 - (1 vote)

Warm Breakfast Quinoa with Cinnamon Apples & Almonds is so hearty and protein-and fiber-rich that brings a wonderfully nutty flavor and a satisfying texture, making it a fantastic alternative to rice, couscous, or any grain. Try this magical recipe!

Recipe Description

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone had a great time celebrating last night, without the residual New Year’s Day hangover. I was a good girl and didn’t have a lot to drink last night, but I still woke up craving a hearty breakfast. And with two Granny Smith apples just sitting there, forgotten in my fruit bowl, I knew what my New Year’s breakfast would be today.

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while now since I’m such a huge fan of quinoa and am trying to experiment with it outside of the standard salad fare. Quinoa for breakfast is very healthy, offering you a ton of protein and good calories to energize you at the beginning of your day. Super-versatile, you can make this recipe with practically any fruit: bananas, pears, berries…… just go for it! I am very partial to ridiculously rich cinnamon-apples, so I like to add them to a basic bowl of creamy quinoa, with some nuts for added texture and crunch. I love the Cinnamon Almonds from Trader Joe’s, and you can make your own easily (recipe to follow later), but regular almonds or any other nut will work just fine with this recipe. This is a little sweet & rich, but a decadent breakfast with some nutrition hidden in there somewhere is never a bad thing.

A quick note: always rinse your quinoa before cooking. Most quinoa varieties are nice & clean, but there is still this residual taste that clings to anything you make w/it unless you rinse it.

That being said, here’s the recipe!

Details Recipe Information

Calories: 302.8
Fat: 11g
Cholesterol: 14.3mg
Sodium: 419.1mg
Potassium: 463.7mg
Carbohydrates: 33.7g
Protein: 11.1g

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1/2 cup nonfat milk
2 large tart apples (Granny Smith, etc)
3 tbsp organic white sugar
1 tbsp organic brown sugar
1 + 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped cinnamon almonds (or regular roasted almonds)
kiss of key lime or lemon juice

Method

Step 1

Combine the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. Peel & dice apples into bite-sized pieces, squeeze a bit of key lime or lemon juice onto them and add to the cinnamon-sugar mix. Toss to coat the apples thoroughly with the sugar and set aside to let the apples’ natural juices seep forth.

Step 2

In the meantime, combine rinsed quinoa, water, and milk in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Step 3

While quinoa is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet. Add cinnamon apples and cook over medium heat until they’re cooked through (tender, but not soft). You’ll probably have a little extra quinoa after it’s cooked, so take about 3/4 of the quinoa, add cinnamon apple mixture and almonds, and mix together.

Step 3

Place a few extra apples on top of your warm steamy bowl, add a few extra chopped almonds for garnish and enjoy!