Yes, Another Breakfast Quinoa

I loved my first breakfast quinoa so much I had to experiment and try another one.

Berry Breakfast Quinoa:

1/2 C Quinoa
1 C Water
1 t butter
1 T maple syrup
1/4 t Cinnamon
1 C Blueberries
Squeeze of lemon juice
2T creme fraiche (or, yoghurt)

Directions: Cook quinoa according to package directions (usually bring 1 C water to a boil, add rinsed quinoa, bring to a boil and cover for 15 min.).
After 15 min, remove from heat. add the butter, cinnamon, maple syrup and let rest, covered for 5 min. Stir in 1 T of creme fraiche, add berries and lemon juice. Adjust sweetness with maple syrup/cinnamon. Top with the other 1T of creme fraiche and a handful of berries. Serve!

Why is this different than every other breakfast berry quinoa? I don’t use milk to cook the quinoa.
Most recipes use almond/coconut/or dairy milk combined with water to cook the quinoa and for some reason the thought of cooking my grains in milk makes me recoil. so, as always trust your instincts. the very same instincts brought together the berries cinnamon maple syrup and a bright flavour from the lemon and creme.
Use your intuition and cook your own breakfast quinoa. think of what flavours you want to eat this morning- maybe some raspberries & cocoa?mmmm.
enjoy.

a word on creme fraiche: whether you are using yoghurt, pima creme, kefir or another traditional fermented dairy product:
“culturing restores many of the enzymes destroyed during pasteurization including lactase, which helps digest lactose or milk sugar, and numerous enzymes, which help the body absorb calcium and other minerals.
…
Research has shown that regular consumption of cultured dairy products lowers cholesterol and protects against bone loss. In addition, cultured dairy products provide beneficial bacteria and lactic acid to the digestive tract. These friendly creatures and their by-products keep pathogens at bay, guard against infectious diseases and aid the the fullest possible digestion of all food we consume.” (Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: Newtrends Publishing, 2001.)

a word on maple syrup: Sugar is still sugar. Being the Healthy Project, I figured there might be questions about the use of butter, creme, and of course, sugar. The wholesome, healthy, traditional approach to diet is to eat real food- natural sweeteners (ie. maple syrup) as opposed to refined sugar. The idea is that naturally sweet food products still have nutrients because they have not been chemically processed and that our bodies are adapted to digest naturally occuring sugars. That being said- not that we should eat tons of it. For an interesting read, visit: The Food Renegade.