Quinoa for breakfast

As I have been grocery shopping for this blog, I realize I need to make a grocery list. I have been relying on my memory alone and it has failed me at every trip. Maybe it's a good thing though, it has forced me to be a little more creative than I might have been otherwise. For instance, I wanted to make a fava bean soup. I forgot half of the ingredients because I had read so many fava bean recipes I got them all mixed up. So I ended up making a dip instead. (That post will come later.) So this morning I get up to make the breakfast quinoa and I forgot to buy maple syrup and I only had red quinoa in the cupboards! So I made it through with what I had and it still came out delicious. 

Hot quinoa breakfast cereal adapted from whole living magazine:

1. Bring 1 1/2 cups of hemp milk and 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan. Simmer, covered, until most of the milk is absorbed, about 14 minutes. (During this step it boiled over 5 times, so keep a close eye on it.)

2. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tsp of pure maple syrup (I ended up using agave nectar), a pinch of ground cinnamon, and chopped walnuts.

3. Top with a sliced banana.

Tasting notes: I had never tried quinoa sweet like this and I loved it! Anyone that regularly eats oatmeal for breakfast would definitely benefit from switching it up with this quinoa dish. I expected it to get a little softer than it was, but the crunch of the walnuts put the slight crunch of the quinoa into perspective. All in all, I will definitely be making it again.