Hot Quinoa Breakfast Cereal

If you haven't discovered the wonderful ancient grain quinoa - go get some and try it!  It is a wonderful substitute for all sorts of things and it is SO good for you.  It is a complete protein - meaning it has a complete set of essential amino acids for humans.  It is also a good source of dietary fibre, and is high in magnesium and iron.  And to top it all of it is gluten free! 

I first discovered quinoa two years ago at Costco, where I still buy it.  At first I was just using it as a substitute for rice - however, it is SO much more than that!  It is excellent in a quinoa salad (thanks to my sister-in-law, who introduced me to that one! It became a staple in our house for an entire summer).   I'll post that recipe at a later date.

Now for the actual Hot Quinoa Breakfast Cereal Recipe.  

Ingredients:

1 cup water 

1 cup milk (or milk substitute)

1 cup quinoa 

1 tsp cinnamon (my family loves cinnamon so I always adds a little more)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

handful of craisins or raisins

some nuts, toasted in the toaster oven

real maple syrup or sweetener of your choice

Directions:

In a medium saucepan combine milk, water and quinoa.  Bring to a boil.  Add the craisins reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in spices and cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Spoon into serving boils - drizzle with maple syrup and top with toasted nuts.  For my kiddos I add some additional milk or yogurt to cool it down.

This is a really simple recipe that can be divided or double depending on your family size.  Although it makes excellent leftovers for another morning - just put it into saucepan add enough milk for your desired consistency and heat it up again!  

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