Quinoa Porridge with Apples

I have already written about quinoa and its unique features, especially important for people who follow plant based diets. And because of the health benefits, I have used quinoa in dishes instead of rice, in salads and even in a cake. But since I never used it for breakfast dishes, I decided to give it a try. 

When I was at university, there was a time when each day I ate my healthy breakfast - "doctor Bircher's muesli". The name of the dish came from a Swiss doctor who served it to his patients in his clinic. The dish is made of porridge oats that are not cooked but soaked in water overnight, grated apple and all sorts of nuts and dried fruit. So I decided to borrow this concept, but use quinoa (cooked) instead of oats. 

Although I am unable to compare health benefits between the two options, one thing is for sure: the quinoa variation is at least as tasty as the oat one, so you can try it and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS (for 1 portion):

1 apple, cored,

a squeeze of lemon juice,

3 tbsp cooked quinoa*,

3 dried figs, chopped,

4 dried apricots, chopped,

a handful of chopped nuts,

1 tsp pumpkin seeds,

a pinch of cinnamon.

METHOD:

1. Grate the apple (with its skin), sprinkle with a squeeze of lemon juice and mix with the cooked quinoa.
2. Add the dried fruit, nuts, seeds and some cinnamon, stir.
3. The porridge can be optionally served with a dollop of yoghurt and some honey.

* The quinoa can be cooked a day earlier as per the following instruction (the rest can be used in salads or the next day):

1 cup quinoa,

2 cups water,

a pinch of salt,

dash of olive oil

Put the quinoa to a fine mesh strainer, rinse it under running cold water rubbing the seeds with each other with your fingers (for at least 1 minute) and drain well. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pot over a medium heat and fry the drained quinoa for about 1 minute till the rest of water evaporates. Add water, salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook covered for approx. 15 minutes. Take it out from the heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes more. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.

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