Pumpkin Quinoa Coconut Porridge

Serves 2

Having added pumpkin to just about every single dish I’ve made for the past month solid, I can’t help but wonder if Pumpkins Anonymous actually exists?  If not, I’m setting one up first thing tomorrow and I’ll be a millionaire by Christmas!  For all of my fellow pumpkin obsessed allies out there – feel free to come to my 12-step programme so that we can go through pumpkin withdrawals together! But before I go cold turkey, I’m having one last hurrah in the form of this absolutely delicious breakfast. It is the food equivalent of a giant warming hug, which quite frankly I need now more than ever since the mornings are so darn dark and cold! It is as simple to make as chucking everything in a saucepan and letting it do its thang on the stove for 20 minutes.  I tend to make a double batch as it keeps for a few days in the fridge, so I just reheat it for a quick and easy breakfast that the whole family enjoys. 

For some reason my kids won’t touch savoury quinoa but they adore it as a sweet porridge.  Since it is so nutritious, I try to make different versions of this breakfast seasonally (the summer berry one goes down particularly well too).  Quinoa is considered a whole grain despite actually being a seed and is one of the rare plant-based foods that is, what’s called a ‘complete protein source’.  This means that it contains all 9 essential amino acids, which are usually just found in animal based products such as meat, fish, dairy and eggs; so that’s just one of the reasons that quinoa is particularly beneficial for vegans.

One portion provides 321 calories, 14g of plant based protein, 3g of fibre and 22% of my daily Iron requirements.

INGREDIENTS

·      75g Quinoa
·      200ml Coconut Milk (the drinkable kind from a carton, not a tin)
·      50g Pumpkin Puree
·      15g Unsweetened Unflavoured Protein Powder (I used Collagen Powder)
·      25-30g Pecans - Chopped
·      ½ tsp Cinnamon
·      ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
·      ½ tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
·      Yacon or Maple Syrup to taste 
·    A tiny bit of fresh black pepper to help the absorption of the turmeric

METHOD

·     Weigh and thoroughly rinse the quinoa.
·     Put the quinoa, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper and coconut milk in a medium saucepan and heat over a medium heat.
·     After simmering for 10 minutes, add the protein powder and pumpkin puree. 
·     Continue to simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.
·     Serve with chopped pecans and a drizzle of syrup.
·     Tip – I like to dry fry the pecans for a lovely toasted flavour.  Simply heat in a clean dry frying pan (no oil) over a medium heat on the hob for 5 minutes, shaking regularly to make sure they don’t burn. 

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories – 321
Protein – 14g
Fat – 14g
Carbohydrates – 37g
Fibre – 3g
Iron – 22%