Coconut quinoa porridge

Pack away the blender and ignite the stove top – porridge is back, with a twist

Winter is looming (gah) which means soon we’ll be swapping our morning smoothie for warming alternatives, our short sleeves for winter woollies and summer nights for nights by the fire (or heater!).

So, it’s time to do yourself a favour and make a breakfast that’s delicious, warming and oh-so-easy. This is the tastiest porridge starring quinoa which is high in protein and fibre, and coconut – yum! Perfect for meal prepping, you can make a bunch on a Sunday and then heat and eat for the week.

Ingredients:

• 250g pack quinoa – this will do around five serves
• 250mL milk (you can use soy, coconut, almond, cows – whatever you prefer)
• 1Tbsp cinnamon, ground
• 1Tbsp nutmeg, grated or ground
• 1Tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 cup desiccated or grated coconut
• 1 vanilla pod, scraped OR 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Fruit and nuts to serve – we love macadamias and raspberries OR almonds and banana

Method:

1. Rinse the quinoa in water and drain.

2. In a pot, put in your rinsed quinoa, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut and vanilla – bring to the boil and then simmer uncovered until the liquid has diminished (this will take around 20 minutes). Add more milk if you need it.

3. You’ll know it’s done when the quinoa is no longer ‘crunchy’ – the white centre of the grain will be clear. Have a taste and add your honey here – but go easy, there’s heaps of natural sugars going on, especially once you add your fruit to top it off.

4. Top with fruit, nuts of your choice and enjoy.

Note: Those little grains are thirsty. If you’re reheating, they’ll have absorbed any liquid overnight, so you’ll need to add a little before you reheat to loosen it the next day!