I finally did it! I made breakfast… with quinoa. Now, don’t get all goofy eyed on me over this – It was a major success! And the weird level is pretty low; it’s basically like a crunchier oatmeal.
The idea for a breakfast featuring quinoa has been rocking around in my brain for months now…
Would it be weird?! Would it be awesome?! Would I ever stop eating scones from the freezer and just try it already?!
With a little beach here, a little out-of-towning there (and a whole lot of eating out – my kitchen is so… clean ) it easily slipped to the back of my brain and got filed under “don’t forget to make before summer ends and you slip straight into a pie making frenzy (yes, that time is almost here!)”.
I imagined cherries as the fresh focal point in my breakfast quinoa adventure, and with summer slowly sizzling out, I knew I had to get it in gear and make this now. So I did just that.
And it was amazing.
Dark chocolate, coconut, and fresh chopped cherries turn quinoa into a breakfast do. I boiled the quinoa down with coconut milk and added a touch of cinnamon at the end – creamy, rich, and a great fill-in for oats. Dark chocolate, coconut flakes, and fresh cherries made this decadent and dreamy in breakfast-ville. After this success, I’ll definitely be thinking up more flavor ideas for breakfast quinoa…
Cinnamon apple? Peaches and cream? Rum raisin?
The possibilities!
Dark Chocolate-Cherry-Coconut Quinoa
Makes 2 servings
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 tablespoon honey (I used the raw variety)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup fresh cherries (or any other fruit you fancy), roughly chopped
1/4 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped into small-ish pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
In a medium saucepan bring quinoa and coconut milk to boil; reduce heat to low and cover until cooked (about 12 minutes). Once quinoa is cooked, stir in honey, coconut, and cinnamon. Cool for about 5 minutes then stir in cherries and chocolate (the chocolate will slightly melt into the quinoa, it’s ok – add more chunks at the end if you’re feeling extra decadent)
This is so creative! I’ve been wanting to try breakfast quinoa, + this version looks divine. Love your way of describing it as a crunchier oatmeal – i can wrap my mind around that. Can’t wait to see what other versions you make!
I’m a pretty big quinoa enthusiast — It’s my go-to make ahead lunch for sure. But I’ve never made it sweet for breakfast! I’ve seen a lot of breakfast quinoa recipes that didn’t wow me, but I think cherries and chocolate sound like the PERFECT way to get me in to breakfast quinoa!
I love quinoa too, and while I don’t it for breakfast all the time, it’s a nice option to keep in mind 😉
We totally deserve it!
Oooh…I need to make this, too! So excited to have found your site. It’s gorgeous! love your ideas.
How interesting to use quinoa with cherry, dark chocolate and coconut!! You said breakfast? That sounds fabulous. I’d totally enjoy this from breakfast! 😀
Ooh, now that’s a great idea – quinoa for breakfast? Never would have thought of that! Chocolate and cherries too – perfect combo, although cherries cost an arm and a leg here. I saw a tiny pack of them the other day for €7 😮
big fan of cherries over here and of chocolate – and pair them with quinoa? great thinking! especially the chocolate part 🙂
After including quinoa in energy bars, I knew there were endless possibilities with using it on the sweet side of the spectrum. And here is one of them. Good work – it looks delicious:)