Quinoa Oat Cereal

I grew up being told to eat my oatmeal… That it is good for you… That it sticks to your bones.. That you need it to have a good day at school…  We had oatmeal or some kind of hot cereal every morning as I was growing up, especially in the winter.  My dad usually made it before he went to work…. So, that meant that by the time I got up for school it was lumpy and not so appetizing.   Saying that I really didn’t eat any breakfast as oatmeal wasn’t for me… I didn’t like the taste or the texture.

I was told about this recipe from a friend at work.   This recipe has quinoa and steel cut oats in it.  It has dried fruits and nuts and spices.   I was intrigued, especially as you start it the night before.   I only made half the recipe as it serves 4 and I thought, just in case we didn’t like I didn’t want to waste any of the ingredients.   I also had some California Walnuts that I toasted to put on top.  

The verdict ~ I loved the taste.  It had just the right amount of spices and the crunchiness of the nuts were perfect.  My hubby added condensed milk and vanilla yogurt to his and he said he would eat it again if I made it… It was a  hit.

Quinoa and Oat Cereal

A healthy hot cereal made with quinoa and steel cut oats, sweetened with maple syrup and dried fruits. The added nuts give it crunch to complete the taste

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries and cut up dried apricots)
• 1/4 cup quinoa (well rinsed)
• 1/4 cup steel cut oats
• 1/8 cup raisins
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp total - cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves (see note)
• 2 cups of water
• Maple syrup
• Milk
• toasted walnuts, glazed pecans, toasted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

1. In small pot bring dried fruit, raisins, quinoa, oats, salt,spices and water to a boil.
2. Cover and take of heat overnight.
3. In morning reheat cereal over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, adding water if needed until warm about 5-8 minutes.
4. Serve with maple syrup, toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds, milk, yogurt, glazed pecans

Notes

• spices: I used 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, and equal parts of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves to equal 1/2 tsp total of spices. You could use the spices in the amounts that you want. The original recipe only used cinnamon and cardamom.
• Alternate the dried fruits: cranberries, apricots, mango, goji berries, apples. I think anything would work. Adding fresh fruit would also give lots of flavour and sweetness.
• The crunch of the nuts and seeds is a must ~ use walnuts, pecans, almonds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds.
• My Cereal did still have water in it in the morning, but after cooking it for about 8 minutes the water had dissipated. I am not sure if I added more water then the recipe called for.

Other Quinoa Recipes that you may be interested in:   Orange Pomegranate Quinoa Salad,  Rainbow Summer Quinoa Salad, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Quinoa Breakfast Cookies, Kale and Chickpea Quinoa, Chocolate Cauliflower Quinoa Bites