Art by Bicicleta Sem Freio, via Empty Kingdom

This morning I conducted a super successful breakfast experiment; if you are in a breakfast slump, you’ve gotta try this one, it might be just what you need!

Hell yeah, quinoa, I’m beginning to figure you out.

Quinoa tends to be used for savoury dishes, but I love it most when it is on the sweet side. It is the perfect breakfast food: super light, energy-sparking, clarity-promoting and easy to make happen. It does takes longer to make than a bowl of oatmeal, but you will totally be eating within 30 minutes of pooling your ingredients together, and the results are amazing.

This recipe cooks up like a porridge but way, way cooler. The scatter of raspberries melts in to the background with a burst of flavour and colour, while blueberries sit round and juicy alongside silky, milk-plumped almonds up front. Because quinoa needs to be simmered for much longer than oats, it gives you a chance to really infuse your own layers of flavour. In this recipe, cinnamon gives a hint of warm spice and the ginger adds a little somethin’ real special.

Game-Changing Breakfast Quinoa with Berries

Ingredients:

1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 cup rice milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 inch nub of ginger, peeled & cut in half
1-2 tbsp raw almonds
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 c frozen blueberries
pure maple syrup* to serve

What to do:

In a small saucepan, add quinoa, rice milk, ginger and almonds. Whisk with a fork to combine.

Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to very low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add raspberries and blueberries, stirring to combine. Raise heat to low-medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 more minutes or until liquid is fully reduced, stirring regularly for the last couple of minutes to make sure nothin’ sticks to the pan (the change from almost-done to done happens pretty fast). Remove ginger chunks and throw ’em away (or rinse well and save them for something else, like your next round of DIY juice).

Serve drizzled with a little maple syrup.

Serves one.

* By the way, if you have never experienced the wonder that is pure maple syrup, now is the hour – it is the sweet, sweet cherry on top of a hot bowl breakfast. Beware, though, once you know what the real deal tastes like, you won’t want to buy that “maple flavoured” crap ever again. Mmm hmm. It is that much better.