This sounds fancy, but it is actually SUPER easy, and really delicious. Coconut, Blueberry, Raspberry and a nutty quinoa makes for a delicious entrée. You will definitely be able to impress your family and friends with this one.
My initial thought was that this would be a great breakfast. But to be honest, it is good for any meal! If you find yourself getting tired of sandwiches, mix it up with something like this!
My trick to keeping this simple is using a rice cooker. Rice cookers are so versatile—virtually any grain can be cooked in a rice cooker. Put it in, press the button and walk away. Once I actually gave my kids a bath while the quinoa was cooking. When I came back, I served it up, added the mix-ins, and presto! Lunch was served.
I like to mix in blueberries, coconut and raspberries. I happen to have a raspberry forest in my backyard, so I always have an abundance of raspberries—fresh in the summer, and frozen the rest of the year. A little milk makes this more like a cereal. I also add a spoonful of brown sugar to give it a slight sweetness.
My husband loved this one. My baby loved it too. I scooped it right onto his tray and let him eat it with his fingers. For my other kids, I think it will take a few more attempts to get them to like it. My 3 year old does proclaim to people that “I like quinoa now”. However when I offer it to her, she says, “No thank you,” with the sweetest little smile.
This is a grain-based meal, so it is going to be heavy on the carbs. It's whole grain, though and quite satisfying. The only added sugar is the spoonful of brown sugar, and the sweetened shredded coconut (about 10 grams). Everything else is natural sugars from the milk and fruit. When I had it as a lunch meal, I added some mango and cottage cheese for a little more protein.
Meal:
1 ½ cups coconut quinoa
½ cup 2% milk
1 ½ tsp brown sugar
1/3 cup blueberries
¼ cup raspberries
2 Tbsp shredded coconut
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1/2 cup Cottage cheese
1/2 cup Mango
Recipe Used in this meal:
Coconut Berry Quinoa
Serving size: 1 ½ cups
Servings per Recipe: 4
Ingredients
2 Tsp Olive oil
1 cup Quinoa
7 oz coconut milk (1/2 can)
1 ¾ cup water
Berries, Coconut, Milk, Brown sugar
Directions
Toast the quinoa: heat olive oil in a fry pan and add the quinoa. Cook stirring frequently until it is toasted and golden brown. (This step is not essential, but it enhances the nutty flavor)
Pour quinoa into a rice cooker. Add coconut milk and water. Start the rice cooker.
Once the rice cooker is done, stir the quinoa and test for adequate softness. You can always add more water and cook a little longer if you want it to be softer.
Serve warm in bowls, add mix-ins.
Mix in per bowl: ½ cup Milk, 1/3 cup Blueberries, ¼ cup Raspberries, 2 Tbsp Shredded Coconut
Nutrition Facts Label for Quinoa + Mango + Cottage cheese:
Nutrition Facts Label for Quinoa with mix-ins:
Nutrition Facts Label for Plain Quinoa (no mix-ins):
