Blueberry Quinoa-meal (Vegan, GF)

I woke this morning with a rumbly in my tumbly. I've been doing smoothies in the morning for so long, I miss my hot breakfast grains! I was inspired by Aarti once again, she made Quinoa Oatmeal while going Gluten-Free and posted it on her blog. http://www.aartipaarti.com/2010/05/11/going-gluten-free/. Her version was of course much more sophisticated than this with pistachios and orange zest etc, but I added and subtracted a few twists of my own. This recipe is so versatile that you could add almost anything you want and it would still hold its own. The texture just astounded me, it was definitely comparable to real oatmeal.

For two small servings, or one big serving:

1/2 cup quinoa

3/4-1 cup water (whatever the amount is on package)

1/2 cup almond milk

Pinch of sea salt

2 tsp ground flaxseeds

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tbsp raw honey (or to desired sweetness), you could also use agave to make it TRULY vegan

1/4 blueberries (or any fruit/nut/dried fruit you have on hand)

Cook your quinoa as it says on the package. (Bring water, salt, and quinoa to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the little germ comes out or until desired softness). I never have much success with cooking quinoa with the lid off, the water just evaporates instantly, so I usually cover it for a little bit. Towards the end, take the lid off so that all the water can evaporate so just quinoa is in the pot. Turn heat up to medium, add almond milk and stir until it heats up again, cook for a few minutes. Take off heat, add flaxseeds, honey and cinnamon. Put lid on and let sit for 4-5 minutes. The flaxseeds will thicken the mixture as it sits with the almond milk, ie. flaxseed egg substitute. Take off the lid, give it a stir, if you need it to be thicker, turn up heat to medium and reduce. Add blueberries/add ins, and serve. 

Some combination ideas:

• coconut milk/mango
• banana/walnut
• apple/cinnamon (extra cinnamon!)
• cranberry/orange zest

- Jac