Quinoa Yogurt Breakfast Bowls *Fall Twist*
Life is hard; food doesn't have to be #146 [vol4, 9.4]
Am I the only one who thinks about food 24/7? You know it’s good when you go to bed excited for breakfast then wake up thinking about it.
This breakfast bowl has a complete protein (quinoa = KEEN-wa), fiber (apples), and satiating fat (yogurt & nuts). Usually cooked in broth this breakfast treat uses apple juice to cook the grain. Below the recipe are several notes about ingredients and tips for preparing.
Ingredients
1c quinoa
1 1/4 c apple juice
1T butter
1/4t sea salt
cinnamon to taste
Yogurt of choice
Maple syrup, optional
Apples, chopped
Pecans or other nuts
Instructions
Rinse quinoa if not soaking. Bring apple juice, quinoa, butter and salt to a boil. Reduce to a simmer then cover & cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork & if there’s a lot of juice left let simmer uncovered a minute. Sprinkle with cinnamon until you’re content.
I scooped a portion in a small bowl to help it cool quickly. Of course make enough in advance and the hot quinoa isn’t a problem.
Layer yogurt, quinoa, apples. Top with nuts for more protein & satiating fat. Would be yum with dried cherries too.
Did you know cinnamon helps trick the taste buds that something tastes sweeter than it actually is?
Notes
Quinoa is a complete protein meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make on their own. Make quinoa more nutritious by soaking a few hours or overnight. How to: cover quinoa by 2” in water overnight with 1t (or so) of apple cider vinegar to help jumpstart the germination process which amps up the nutrition and digestibility. Strain and rinse before cooking.
*Make extra quinoa and use in this quinoa, chickpea, spinach, feta and apple salad. I also prefer to use quinoa in this tabbouleh recipe.
Apple juice - Consider buying organic apples and juice, especially if giving the remaining juice to children. Apples are sprayed excessively with chemicals and are one of the most “dirty” or chemical laden off all our produce. I plan to freeze some remaining juice in 1 cup portions in Souper Cubes.
If making bowls in advance, toss chopped apples in lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.
Yogurt - I used plain Greek with fat then added maple syrup. Use whatever yogurt you want, just be sure to eat yogurt WITH FAT.
Fat is not a demon. It helps us feel full and stay full. Without fat there will be a spike in blood sugars and will be hungry again sooner. Fat also helps with hormone production & stability. Plus, fat just tastes good!
Did you know if the brain was dehydrated half of that remaining would be fat?
Nuts - to help with digestibility (ever felt “nut-gut”?) soak pecans in salt water then dehydrate to make the nutrients easier to be absorbed by my body. Here’s an article to explain all the details.
At Costco This Week
I squealed with delight (not exaggerating) when I stumbled upon dried mushrooms, a seasonal offering by Costco. The reason? Mushroom salt and I’m almost out of the batch I made last year. I even stopped at the customer service desk 2 week ago to inquire if these were coming back. They weren’t in the system and I was sorely disappointed. Thus my squeal Monday night! I found them near the canned coconut milk and from the picture looks like soup/broth.
If you have mushroom haters in your house but you love the umami (and nutrients) mushrooms add to food, try mushroom salt.
This is the recipe I roughly followed to make it.
Use it on all things eggs: scrambled, quiche, etc. Hide it in anything with ground beef or pork. Sprinkle it on any cuts of meat, especially roast. Or anywhere you want to use mushrooms undercover. One friend said she uses it liberally with stroganoff since her people hate mushrooms. They’ll never know it’s in there!
Other Fun Finds
New to us were these Kiwi Berries. About the size of a big grape, they taste EXACTLY like kiwi and you can eat the skin. Try some if you find them.
Would Buy Again
We love pumpkin muffins in the fall. I’ve been using a Lazy Genius recipe to make them on repeat, now that I have these silicon pans with a wire rim. Despite the fact that muffins can be divas, this recipe comes out every time. Try as I might, I inevitably destroy the instructions adding ingredients at the wrong time. Not a baker.
These pans are dishwasher safe and actually come clean. Game changer.
Welp, that’s all for this week. Hit reply and let me know what you’re loving lately.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be,
Julie
PS - Last week’s email link for the soup challenge e-book was incorrect. Once a reader notified me, I immediately changed it on the website but I’m unable to change links in the email once it’s sent.
When a link doesn’t work in the email, click on the title of the email and it should take you to my substack website. Thank you to those who alerted me to this mistake.
Learn more about the 30-day soup challenge here. It starts Sunday, October 1 and I highly recommend it!