Most of us know how great quinoa can be for getting your proteins in during lunch or dinner, either as a salad or instead of having rice with your meats or veg. But did you know how versatile this gluten free grain can be? That is since you can actually use your left over quinoa, or make some fresh since they only take 15 minutes to cook, and use them for your breakfast.
Top your quinoa with some avocados and eggs, or add in some coconut milk if you like it sweet instead of savory. Either way, using quinoa as the base, you can have a healthy breakfast. Here are some ideas how you can mix it up to make the morning breakfast.
Quinoa with eggs and roasted tomatoes
This highly nutritional meal will give you all you need in the morning. Best, it is so tasty.
Ingredients
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp olive oil
½ cup cooked quinoa
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, divided
Pinch of sea salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp fresh chopped oregano
Pinch of ground black pepper
Instructions
Turn your broiler onto high. Place the tomatoes in an oven safe dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Broil for 5 minutes or until slightly charred.
Toss the quinoa with ½ tbsp. of the parmesan cheese and a pinch of sea salt. Place in a shallow bowl or on a plate.
In a skillet, cook the eggs to your preference. I cooked mine sunny side up.
Place the eggs over the quinoa and then spoon the tomatoes over top. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese, oregano and black pepper.
A bowl of quinoa and coconut
If you do not have much time in the morning, then this will work well for you. You can prepare your quinoa the day before, or even just make use of the leftover quinoa of the night before. All you need to do is to add in some yogurt, fruit, coconut, and chia seeds. But it is best with coconut cream. It is super healthy and you will be ready to tackle the day with the right energy.
A pesto and quinoa bowl
Pesto, normally severed with dinner, works its magic as the sauce to be added with quinoa for a savory breakfast bowl. You can add in some hemp and chia seeds as they will add in protein and omega-3 fatty acids to the meal.
Ingredients
2 large eggs
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 an avocado
1/4 cup homemade pesto
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh kale leaves
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 large garlic clove
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
Start by adding the eggs to a small saucepan with 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot and reduce to simmer for 5 – 6 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking, add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor. Process until almost smooth
When eggs are done cooking, rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Let stand in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.
Prepare your breakfast bowls: add 1 cup quinoa, half of the avocado thinly sliced and half the pesto.
When eggs have cooled, peel them and slice in half. Add to the bowl and sprinkle with half the hemp and chia seeds.
Enjoy as is, season with a touch more salt and pepper, or mix it all together.
Cinnamon quinoa toast
This recipe is the perfect use for leftover quinoa. It tastes like cinnamon toast!
Ingredients
Heaping 2 tablespoons chopped raw pecans
1 ½ teaspoons coconut oil
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
Tiny pinch of salt
1 cup pre-cooked quinoa (either chilled or warm from cooking—both will work)
1 tablespoon maple syrup, more if desired
You could add any of the following, if you like:
1 tablespoon chopped dried cherries or dried cranberries
Hemp seeds, chia seeds or flax seeds
Milk or yogurt of choice
Instructions
First, toast the pecans before we add the remaining ingredients. To do so, warm the pecans in a small saucepan (use a larger saucepan if you are making multiple servings) over medium heat, shimmying the pan often, until the pecans smell fragrant and toasty, about 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the coconut oil, cinnamon and salt to the pot. While stirring constantly, cook until the cinnamon is fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Add the quinoa to the pot and stir to combine. Cook, while stirring constantly, just until the quinoa is warmed through, about a minute or so. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the maple syrup.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and top with dried fruit and a hefty sprinkle of hemp seeds, if using. Top with a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve promptly, with additional maple syrup and milk or yogurt on the side, if you would like.
Other ideas
You can try doing a spinach and mushroom quinoa breakfast bowl. This would be a great savory breakfast bowl, and you can really use any veggies that you have around. Otherwise, try quinoa with chai-spiced almond milk and cinnamon. This you can top with pecans, coconut, and even more cinnamon. The smell will be amazing, so to the taste. Then again, you can always make some coconut and quinoa pancakes. Like who does not like pancakes, and by using quinoa you know they will be super healthy. In addition, they are gluten free.