Creamy Quinoa & Chia Porridge

Autumn is here, and it’s getting too cool for cold breakfasts of raw chia pudding and green smoothies. The other morning I was trying to think of something warm and comforting for breakfast while browsing through food photos on Instagram (as you do), and I noticed a photo of banana chia quinoa porridge that was posted by Jessica Cox (a nutritionist with lots of great recipes), and I was inspired! I couldn’t find a recipe, so I just made up my own. (Thanks for the idea, Jessica!)

I love quinoa, but whenever I’ve tried to make quinoa flakes into porridge it’s usually ended up kind of sludgey, and I didn’t really enjoy it. Until now. Adding chia made all the difference for me, as well as cooking it very lightly, not overcooking it. And I’m sure all the coconut cream, banana, cinnamon and nuts helped as well!

You could cook it in the Thermomix like I do, or in a pan on the stovetop if you keep the heat really low and stir until done. Or use the soak overnight method (below the recipe).

Note: The addition of mesquite powder is optional. I love to use it in my breakfast porridge as it’s low GI and great for stablising blood sugar levels, plus it’s high in minerals and protein. So when you combine that with chia and quinoa, you have a breakfast that keeps you from getting the blood sugar ‘lows’ all morning. (It’s also slightly sweet, and has a caramelly flavour that goes well with the bananas and cinnamon.) Mesquite flour and chia are both traditional foods of native Americans, and it’s really interesting to see these ancient ‘health foods’ making a comeback! My Cherokee great great grandma would be pleased to know I’m using them. 

Quinoa & Chia Porridge

2014-06-29 04:40:29

Serves 4

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Ingredients

1. - 100g raw almonds
2. - 500g water
3. - 50g quinoa flakes
4. - 50g chia seeds
5. - 2 Tbspns raw honey (or preferred sweetener)
6. - 2 tps ground cinnamon
7. - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
8. - 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
9. - 3 Tbspns mesquite powder (opt)
10. - a pinch of Himalayan salt

Toppings

1. - coconut milk or yoghurt
2. - sliced bananas (or whatever fruit you like)
3. - chopped walnuts (opt)
4. - a drizzle of pure maple syrup
5. - a sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions

1. Weigh almonds into Thermomix bowl, and grind for 10 seconds on speed 9.
2. Add water and blend on speed 9 for 1 minute.
3. Add the quinoa flakes, chia seeds, honey, spices, vanilla, mesquite powder & salt, and cook at 50C for 5 minutes, reverse speed 2. (Gently blend it up for a few seconds first on speed 3 to mix together.)
4. Spoon into bowls, add toppings and serve

Overnight soak method

1. Make almond milk, mix with other ingredients apart from toppings, and refrigerate overnight. Next morning, warm gently then serve topped with fruit, nuts, etc.

Quirky Cooking https://www.quirkycooking.com.au/