Warm Cinnamon Orange Quinoa

On my quest for a filling and nutritious breakfast that would a) keep me warm and b) keep me full from 6:00 am to 12:00 pm, I fell upon Heidi's interpretation of Dr. John La Puma's quinoa breakfast bowl. Food TV Canada has a good rundown of why quinoa (keen-wah) is so great:

• It was the main food staple of the Incan civilization; it has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years and is known as the "Mother Grain"

• It has been classified as a super-crop by the United Nations

• It contains more protein than any other grain

• It's a good source of fibre, phosphorus, calcium, vitamin E and several B vitamins

• It's high in magnesium, potassium, and iron

• It's gluten-free and easy to digest

• It's a complete protein

How can you go wrong? Now, me being me, I of course couldn't follow Heidi's recipe exactly, so mine turned out something like this:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 cups of rinsed and toasted organic white quinoa (To rinse quinoa, run it under cold water in a strainer until the water runs clear. It has a bitter saponin coating on it to keep predators away that you don't want to eat. To toast it, heat it in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until some of the grains begin to pop, it smells nutty, and you can see it getting darkly golden in places.)
  
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of low-fat milk
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• Zest of a large orange
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 bag frozen mixed berries
• Honey
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• Walnuts
• Chia seeds
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

• In a large pot, combine the quinoa, the three first liquids, the orange zest, and the cinnamon. It seems like a lot of cinnamon, but this makes a big batch.
  
• Bring the pot to a boil; once it is boiling, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender, you can see its little spiral showing, and the liquid is absorbed.
  
• In another pot, combine the berries, a drizzle of orange juice, and another of honey over medium heat. Simmer until it has reached the consistency of runny jam. Remove from heat, pour into a jug, and stir in the lemon juice.
  
• When the quinoa is cooked, fluff with a fork. Spoon into a bowl, then top with a good glug of the berries, and a sprinkling of walnuts and chia. Serve hot.
  
• Store the extra quinoa and berries in the fridge so that you've got an easy, hot breakfast ready for the week.
  

Makes 6-8 servings.