Review
Some things I’ve been lovely lately, with no necessary rhyme or reason:
Chocolate almond milk in coffee. {Bonus: a sprinkle of cinnamon in coffee grounds before brewing makes it especially awesome.}
Craisins in breakfast quinoa.
Luna Bar’s Peanut Honey Pretzel flavor. Sweet. Salty. Peanut buttery. The perfect combo.
Stumbling upon a hidden freezer stash of my vegan millionaire’s shortbread: chocolate-y, caramel-y, salt-y goodness.
The Manduka Lyrics tank– the softest workout tank I’ve ever put on. LOVE. I love that it’s not clingy- sweat + shirt stuck me = yuck. The only downside is the white’s a tad see through. {The company was kind enough to give this to me. Check out their great workout tees and tanks plus oodles of yoga accessories.}
Hanging out with my bloggie bestie for the afternoon last week! Allie is awesome. Too bad we met after she moved away from NC!
This fabulous message about loving your body for what it is…and believing it!
What are you loving lately?
Recipe
There are at least 527 ways to eat quinoa…I’ve counted. Maybe you know more?
Not all of them include substituting rice for quinoa with dinner or in a stir fry. Or even baking.
One of the simplest ways to eat quinoa, is just as a bowl of quinoa. For breakfast.
A little bit porridge, a little bit chewy crunch. It’s as easy to prepare as oatmeal, but gives you an entirely different breakfast.
I like to start with already prepared quinoa- whenever I make a recipe that calls for quinoa, I always make extra. There’s no point in waiting for water to boil or pulling out a pot twice. Then let the extra portion cool and pop it in the fridge; it’ll last a few days at least.
That’s what I did when I made my quinoa muffins last week, so I have a nice big container sitting in the fridge ready to be used.
To make the breakfast quinoa, just take 1 part quinoa to 1 part almond milk and heat it on the stove for a few minutes. The quinoa will start to soak up the milk and thicken, like porridge. When the quinoa is thoroughly heated and most of the milk is absorbed, it’s done.
Top with a little extra almond milk when you serve it, as it continues to thicken a little as it cools.
Feel free to mix in any seasonings or toppings that you like, such as cinnamon, coconut or pecans.
If a whole bowl of quinoa is too much for you to handle, try stirring pre-cooked quinoa into a bowl of oatmeal- it gives the oats a satisfy chew & slight crunch.
<—One of my favorite ways to eat quinoa.
Quinoa oats with pumpkin, banana, cinnamon, vanilla, natural peanut butter and Love Grown Foods apple granola.
Breakfast Quinoa
-
1
cup
quinoa
-
1
cup
almond milk
plus extra
-
1/2
tsp
cinnamon
-
Heat quinoa and milk on stove until thoroughly heated and milk starts to absorb.
-
Remove from heat and serve; top with extra almond milk.
The latest on tiny sneakers: Paint by Numbers
Recipe
The first time I tried quinoa I was in college. I grabbed the teal box of the pantry shelf not knowing exactly what it was I was about to make. I poured the quinoa in the pot. I brought the water to a boil. I let it simmer away.
I starred at the odd looking swirly tails on each little white disk of quinoa. I dug in with a big spoon. I gagged. It was disgusting. The texture was bizarre and it didn’t taste like anything. Forget that stuff.
Fast forward a few years later and for whatever reason I decided to try it again. Thank goodness I did, because quinoa rocks. Seriously.
It’s easiest to describe it as a grain, because that’s pretty much how you use it. It’s really a pseudograin. It’s absolutely packed with protein. Now I love it’s crunchiness and the chewiness it imparts to a dish. It’s a great substitute for rice and perfectly complements a bowl of oats.
{Quinoa comes in a variety of colors from white to yellow to pink to red. This is a combo of a few of them.}
Quinoa Muffins
I’ve been having a thing for baked goods lately, so I figured I might as well make something packed with nutrition so finishing the pan wouldn’t be a problem.
I thought the chewy quinoa might be the perfect base for a hearty muffin. I was right.
These dense muffins are packed with whole grains and protein, yet still full of satisfying flavor.
This recipe starts with cooked quinoa. To prepare your quinoa, add 1 part uncooked quinoa to 2 parts water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
I like to start with a cup of uncooked quinoa, which will make enough for this muffin recipe plus a breakfast or two.
Quinoa Muffins
-
1
Tbsp
ground flax
-
3
Tbsp
water
-
1
cup
cooked quinoa
-
3/4
cup
whole wheat flour
-
3/4
cup
all purpose flour
-
1/2
cup
old fashioned oats
-
1 1/2
tsp
baking powder
-
2/3
cup
packed brown sugar
-
3/4
tsp
salt
-
1/2
tsp
cinnamon
-
3/4
cup
almond milk
-
1/4
cup
pumpkin puree
-
1
tsp
vanilla extract
-
1/4
cup
unsweetened coconut flakes
-
Mix flax and water together. Stir and set aside.
-
Stir together dry ingredients: flours, oats, quinoa, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon.
-
Mix together pumpkin puree, almond milk, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients with coconut flakes. Stir gently just until batter comes together. It will be thick.
-
Divide into greased muffin tins. Scoop ~1/4 cup batter into 12 muffin cups.
-
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
-
Let cool slightly in pan then transfer to cooling rack.
-
As with most baked goods, these taste delicious still warm from the oven.
Sweet enough to have as dessert; mild enough to have for breakfast.
Do you like quinoa? What’s your favorite way to eat it?
Can you believe I’ve already made it to 22 weeks? Check out my pregnancy update on tiny sneakers.
Recipe
Critics say vegetarians can’t possibly get enough protein.
I say they’re wrong.
Quinoa + Black Eyed Peas + Cashews = Veggie Protein Powerhouse
Black Eyed Pea Quinoa
3/4 c dry red quinoa
3/4 c pineapple juice
3/4 c water
2 T soy sauce
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c pineapple chunks
1/2 c raw cashews, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 T olive oil
red pepper flakes
2 c black eyed peas
Bring quinoa, pineapple juice, water, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
While quinoa is cooking, sauté jalapeno and garlic in a splash of olive oil. Cook for ~3 minutes, stirring to keep garlic from burning. Stir in cashews. Cook until you can smell the cashews toasting or the jalapeno starts to brown.
Stir in pineapple chunks. Optional: add an extra splash of soy sauce & Worcestershire sauce. Stir in red pepper flakes. Omit if you don’t like heat; add liberally if you do.
When liquid is absorbed in quinoa, stir in black eyed peas.
Serve quinoa and pea mixture in bowls, then top with cashew-pineapple mixture.
Optional: serve with toasted pita wedges.
So now do you want to talk about protein? 
What’s your favorite veggie-source of protein?
Recipe
Oh, wait. You can’t. But you sure wish you could, right?
There’s some amazing smells coming out of the SoS kitchen right now. (And yes, I’m biased.)
What’s cooking? A new & improved batch of my vegan cinnamon rolls.
But they’re still in the oven & I’m hungry, so they’ll have to be “second breakfast”.
Instead? My faithful friend, oatmeal.
But not your grandma’s oatmeal- quinoa-fied oats!
The first time I tried quinoa I thought it was weird and disgusting. (I never said I had good taste in college.) I don’t know what I was thinking because that funny looking grain rocks.
Actually, it’s not really a grain, but it’s so much easier to say it is. (It’s the seed of a grain-like plant- what a mouthful.)
Whatever you call it, it’s got an awesome nutrition profile:
-High protein content (12-18%)
-Complete protein source (contains ALL the essential amino acids- unlike rice)
-Good source of fiber, magnesium, and iron.
– Bonus: it’s gluten-free, so most everyone can get take part in the quinoa party.
I love mixing some cooked quinoa straight into my bowl of oatmeal, but this morning I went the granola route:
Quinoa Granola
1/4 c uncooked quinoa
1 T flax seed
1 T honey or molasses
1/2 t cinnamon
Mix together & spread a thin layer on a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or so….don’t let it burn…burnt quinoa is gross…I’m guessing..;)
Let it cool, then break it up into little quinoa chunks,
Eat it plain, on yogurt, in cereal, or on top of oatmeal!
(Yes, there’s oatmeal under there…perhaps I added one or two other things before the quinoa granola was ready 😉 Walnuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, & chia seeds.)
I love quinoa granola because it’s so crunchy & doesn’t get soggy. I love regular oat granola too, but I’ve never made a batch I was particularly in love with.
Know a good granola recipe? Share it below!
And come back tomorrow for an even better breakfast recipe 😉
