Strawberries & Cream Breakfast Quinoa

March 19, 2014 • Breakfast, Recipes, Spring

Weather: 25 degrees, gloriously clear
What I’m listening to: This Love, FM Radio

As I was preparing to write this post, I realized that there is a theme throughout my childhood of hot cereal. I have a wistful fondness for the stuff that began with my grandmother often cooking up some variety of it for me on the stovetop in the early mornings when I was in elementary school – Cream of Wheat and Malt O Meal were regulars, often with raisins. Then, a while later, my step-father’s father introduced me to the incredible miracle that are long-cooked old fashioned oats with butter, brown sugar, and whole milk with a side of buttered wheat toast.

IMG_9953Finally, in high school, my adoptive mother would make hot rice with sugar and milk whenever I was sick. To this day, I crave it when I’m under the weather, along with her company and the warmth and safety of her cozy kitchen. Hot cereal has long been a comfort to me.

IMG_9949It’s no wonder that I still today adore things like grits, polenta, oats, and quinoa prepared as breakfast porridge. Quinoa, being a pseudo cereal (or supergrain), is a natural choice for breakfast, with fantastic nutritional benefits – it’s protein-rich, has more fiber than most other grains, and is a good source of iron – to name a few. Simply steam some quinoa (or reheat some leftover quinoa you have in the refrigerator from a salad or entree you made earlier in the week), stir in some vanilla or honey sweetened Greek yogurt and milk, then top it with juicy, sweet strawberries and sliced almonds.

If you like this recipe, you may also like Spiced Maple Pumpkin Breakfast Quinoa or my Quinoa & Egg Enchilada Skillet.

Strawberries & Cream Breakfast Quinoa

Hot, creamy quinoa porridge topped with fresh strawberries and sliced almonds.

Yields: 2 servings

  • 2 cups steamed quinoa, hot
  • ½ cup sweetened Greek yogurt (like vanilla or honey flavor)
  • ½ cup milk
  • 12 strawberries, hulled and quartered
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
  • For serving: additional milk or sweeteners (like honey, sugar, or agave nectar), to taste

In a bowl, stir together the sweetened Greek yogurt and milk until smooth. Divide the hot steamed quinoa into two serving bowls. Pour half of the yogurt/milk mixture over each bowl. Top each bowl with the strawberries and almonds. Serve with additional milk and sweeteners, such as honey, sugar, or agave nectar, to taste.