Breakfast is almost never a planned meal around here. I’ll wake up and see what I can cook in the microwave and have ready to eat in less than 5 minutes. That works most of the time, but once and a while it’s nice to change things up and eat something that actually has some thought put into it, like this breakfast quinoa.
There’s no reason to just eat quinoa for lunch or dinner. It has a fairly plain taste on its own and can easily be made savory or sweet. It’s especially good as an oatmeal replacement for gluten-free people because you don’t need to worry about buying gluten-free quinoa the way you do rolled oats. For as good as it tastes, this bowl is really easy to whip up, too, using leftover quinoa from your last meal.
If you don’t have leftover quinoa for this but still want to make it, cooking a batch only takes 15 minutes. For each 1/2 cup cooked quinoa you’ll need 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa and 1/2 cup water brought to a boil and covered until all the water’s been absorbed.
Banana Breakfast Quinoa
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 banana, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup(optional) plus more for drizzling
- 2 Tablespoons crushed walnuts
Method:
- Using a fork, mash the banana in a bowl into a smooth puree.
- Add in the quinoa, cinnamon, and salt and mix together. If the quinoa’s not sweet enough, add the maple syrup to enhance the flavor.
- Move into a serving bowl and add on top the walnuts and more banana and maple syrup if desired. Serve as a cold breakfast or—if you prefer—heat it up in the microwave or oven like a hot cereal.
You can really top this with anything. It’s especially good served hot with a melting dollop of PB&Co.’s Mighty Maple on top.
I’ve gotten into a practice—a good practice—where I make a big batch of quinoa over the weekend using this method to heat and serve throughout the week. It saves me a lot of time and dramatically increases my options for meals when I don’t really have the patience to cook or turn on the oven.
I usually cook the quinoa in just water(as opposed to veg stock) because I’m never quite sure what I’m going to use it for. Sometimes I like it dressed up in Asian flavors like in this fried quinoa recipe and other times with more Western ingredients like this recipe, which I could just as easily see served with roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. It’s an easy way to dress up leftovers so that it doesn’t taste anything like it started as.
Orange and Herb Quinoa
Prep time: 5 minutes(longer if you aren’t using leftover quinoa)
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):
- 2 cups cooked quinoa(or 1 cup uncooked quinoa and 2 cups water)
- Juice from 1/2 an orange(2-3 Tablespoons)
- Zest from 1/2 an orange
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon herbs de Provence(or any other seasoning blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons sugar(optional)
Method:
- If using uncooked quinoa, bring to a boil over the stove with the 2 cups of water and cover with a lid until the water’s been absorbed and the quinoa shows that it’s cooked like above.
- Mix the cooked quinoa with all of the other ingredients thoroughly. Adjust the taste by adding more salt or sugar.
- Serve cold or heat up briefly in the microwave or oven for a warm side dish.
Shown with kale, tempeh cooked in soy sauce, and black olives.
The downside(or benefit depending on how you look at it) of making things like quinoa in big batches is that you have the same old food meal after meal. Luckily, quinoa is one grain that’s easy to dress up. You can eat it in the morning in place of oatmeal, or later on in place of rice. Here I used it to make a tasty, higher protein version of fried rice.
I’ve never really found rice interesting, even as fried rice from a halfway decent Chinese takeout restaurant. This, however, I could eat meal after meal. The vegetables and egg add a play of textures and the quinoa has a nice nutty flavor to it to compliment the sesame oil. Add some stir-fried tofu or chicken and you’re good to go.
Of course, if you have leftover rice you could make the same recipe subbing in rice for quinoa and have a more traditional dish.
Fried Quinoa
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients(makes 2 servings)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce(use wheat-free tamari for a gluten-free meal)
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized chunks
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 4 eggs
Method:
- Heat the oil and soy sauce in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until the oil starts to bubble.
- Add in the onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add in the quinoa, pepper, and bean sprouts. Toss the pan to mix. Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa on the bottom of the pan begins to pop.
- Crack the eggs directly into the pan. Lightly mix them in with the other ingredients. Continue mixing until the all the whites and yolks have cooked through.
- Plate and serve hot. Can be kept in the refrigerator and reheated as leftovers for up to 3 days.
I ate this as leftovers and it was most definitely better the next day, with a strong, nutty sesame flavor and crunchy bean sprouts.
In preschool, I was the fussy eater. Our lunches were always prepared food and whenever it was tuna fish salad or bologna with mayo on white bread, I made them scrape off the mayonnaise and the tuna, so I wasn’t left with much…
Fast-forward several years and I’m a much more adventurous eater than I once was. There are so many flavors and taste sensations out there to experience! This was my first time using mayonnaise in a recipe, so I had to taste at every step to make sure I was “doing it right”, but at the end I was more than happy with lunch.
Sweet & Tangy Autumn Chicken Salad
Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):
-
1lb pulled chicken or turkey
-
1/4 cup mayonnaise*
-
-
2 Tablespoons apricot jam
-
1/3 cup diced dried apricot(optional)
-
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
-
2 teaspoons mustard
*You can make this recipe fat-free by using a fat-free Greek yogurt like Chobani, or make it vegan/cholesterol-free by using Nayonaise and a soy protein
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, pumpkin, apricot jam, vinegar, and mustard until emulsified. Toss in the diced apricots if using and fold them in.
Make sure your chicken or turkey or other protein is in bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, fold together the protein with the salad mixture. Serve between 2 slices of bread or however else you wish.
I’m happy to say my first taste of mayonnaise after such a long time was a good one. I foresee this recipe getting used a lot with Thanksgiving leftovers.
