Breakfast Quinoa

Now that I'm *supposedly* taking the summer off to spend less time training, more time with the blog, it's time to clear the backlog! This recipe was one that I made for the May newsletter at work... Celiac Awareness Month.

I eat the same thing for breakfast nearly every morning – two slices of toast made from Silver Hills bread (The Big 16 was my favourite, but recently they came out with something called "20 Grain Train" which has pumpkin seeds. So amazing) topped with raw almond butter (though not too long ago I bought myself a jar of Peanut Butter & Co.'s "The Heat is On"... a touch too spicy for toast, but delicious nonetheless) and sliced banana.

I wanted to find something approachable but different for a gluten-free recipe, so I settled on Breakfast Quinoa after referencing a few recipes online.


Quinoa is the darling of gluten-free grains these days. Botanically a seed, it is one of the rare plant foods that is a complete protein, meaning that it has all of the essential amino acids. It is also a good source of B vitamins, iron, potassium and phosphorus.

Breakfast Quinoa is not too finicky of a thing - you cook it one part quinoa to two parts liquid (water, milk, or a bit of both... plant-based milks like soy or almond work too), then flavour as you wish. You can keep it simple with brown sugar and cinnamon, or add in your favourite fruits, nuts or seeds.


Mama T had bought the year's first case of Ataulfo mangoes (my favourite!) at the time, so in those went, plus some dried cranberries and cherries, and some pumpkin seeds. In the end, it was a nice summery combo for a breakfast that would probably be associated more with wintery weather. Plus, the additions work well nutritionally, as the vitamin C in the fruit helps you absorb the iron in the pumpkin seeds (but the calcium in the milk blocks it. Err...)

Breakfast quinoa is a great weekend breakfast, and you can make it as comforting or a crazy as you'd like. For weekdays, try Sophie's idea of heating leftover cooked quinoa with milk, so you don't have to wait for everything to cook through.

Breakfast Quinoa with Mango, Dried Fruit & Pumpkin Seeds
Adapted from Dinner with Julie (mostly)
Makes 4 servings

• 1 cup (250 mL) quinoa, rinsed thoroughly and drained
• 2 cups (500 mL) milk
• 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
• ¼ cup (60 mL) dried cranberries
• 2 mangoes, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
• ¼ cup (60 mL) pumpkin seeds

1. In a saucepan, heat quinoa and milk on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has been mostly absorbed, about 30 minutes.
2. Stir in cinnamon and dried fruit, and cook until milk has been completely absorbed.
3. Remove from heat. Stir in mango and garnish with pumpkin seeds before serving.

Nutrition Info (per serving): 326 calories, 8 g fat (2 g saturated, 0 g trans), 6 mg cholesterol, 53 g carbohydrate (6 g fibre, 23 g sugar), 13 g protein, 56 mg sodium. An excellent source of vitamin C, riboflavin (vitamin B₂), folate (vitamin B₄), magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and manganese. A good source of thiamine (vitamin B₁), vitamin B₆, vitamin E, calcium, iron, copper and selenium.

PS - Speaking of work, we are having a CONTEST! I was putting together our Recipes page and realized that we have no beef or pork recipes. So send them to me at vincci [at] fitnutconsulting [dot] com for a chance to win a copy of Cook!, the latest cookbook from Dietitians of Canada. I recently attended a "Culinary Bootcamp for Dietitians" and we made 10 recipes from the book - all were delicious! So far I've had very few entries, so you have a very good chance of winning!