Eat this Breakfast Quinoa for… breakfast, and you’ll have all the energy you need to punch any early morning right in the face.
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Like earthen red confetti, tender quinoa is tossed with jewel-toned beets and tangerine. Honey is added for sweetness, and toasted almond for crunch. This bowl full of superfoods is finished with a rich cloud of whole milk ricotta, and a final flurry of grated tangerine zest. Healthy? Check. Hearty? Check. Delicious? Double check.
In addition to becoming the newest recipe in my healthy breakfast repertoire, this Breakfast Quinoa is also my contribution to the Melissa’s Produce Challenge currently going on between a number of San Diego Food Bloggers. We were challenged to come up with a tasty recipe using a mixture of items provided by Melissa’s Produce, and items in our own pantry. Continue reading for the recipe plus a collection of links from the Melissa’s Produce Challenge.
This recipe uses a number of fantastic products available from Melissa’s Produce, including Red Quinoa, Ojai Pixie Tangerines, and Steamed Red Beets. If you don’t have access to these products, check out the recipe below that includes ingredient substitutions.
Use this recipe as a starting point to come up with any number of delicious variations. Instead of the beet, orange, almond combination, try:
- Coconut, Cashew, Crystallized Ginger, Lime
- Peach, Cinnamon, Pecan, Maple Syrup (instead of honey)
- Mixed Berry, Pine Nut, Basil
- Black Cherry, Hazelnut, Chocolate
- Fig, Walnut, Date
The possibilities are endless once you start thinking about them!
Breakfast Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 package (6 oz) Melissa's Red Quinoa (white quinoa would be nice here as well)
- 2 1/3 cups water
- Kosher salt
- Honey
- 3 strips of Melissa's Ojai Pixie Tangerine zest (any tangerine or orange would work here, plus additional grated zest for sprinkling)
- 1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
- 1 Melissa's Steamed Red Beet*, coarsely grated (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 Melissa's Oja Pixie Tangerines, skin removed and segments chopped (any tangerine or orange would work here)
- Whole milk ricotta cheese
Instructions
- Place red quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, and rinse under cold, running water for a few minutes. Set aside.
- Add water to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa, a pinch of kosher salt, a squeeze of honey, and the tangerine zest, stirring to combine. Return the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water (25 - 35 minutes). Fish out tangerine zest and discard.
- Place most of the chopped almonds, grated beets, and chopped tangerines in a large bowl (reserve a little bit of each for garnish). Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of honey, gently stirring to combine. Add cooked quinoa, and gently toss to combine.
- Divide quinoa between 2 bowls (or 4 small bowls). Scatter over reserved chopped almonds, grated beets, and chopped tangerines. Add a dollop of ricotta to each bowl, and finish with a sprinkling of grated tangerine zest. Serve with additional honey and ricotta.
Notes
Barbara says
At the risk of overusing the word yet again, can I just say YUM? I think I want this for breakfast every morning now.
Brandon Matzek says
Hahaha, it’s ok – you can use the word YUM all you want. I know I use it all the time 😉
Jackie says
I will take anything that looks this amazing and will punch morning in the face!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Jackie :)!
J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats says
The addition of beets in this is completely unexpected but sounds like it would pair so well with the orange, almonds and the ricotta! Love the other combos you suggest too, you definitely have a knack for putting together flavours.
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks J.S. :)! Yeah Orange and Beet is a good combination – normally one I put on a salad! But, with the addition of honey, it definitely works in the sweets realm.
Liz@Virtually Homemade says
This is so fun and creative. Great breakfast idea and fun doing the challenge with you.
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Liz! Yeah, it was fun seeing what everyone came up with.
Brandon Matzek says
PS, I just tried leaving a comment on your blog, but my Google account wasn’t recognized! I’m “unknown.”
Liz@Virtually Homemade says
Weird about the comment. I changed to comment luv right after the hash post for reasons such as that! So nice getting to know some SD bloggers:)
Faye says
Sounds like an amazing breakfast to me!
Brandon Matzek says
Thank you Faye 🙂
Lynn @ oh-soyummy says
Quinoa at breakfast sounds really good! I do need more healthy breakfast recipes. And maybe hubby will like this better than steel oats, which he currently does NOT like.
Brandon Matzek says
Haha perhaps! Quinoa has a little more texture compared to cooked oats. I like to rotate between oats, quinoa and chia seeds to keep things interesting.
Puja @ Indiaphile.info says
Brandon, I love this! Such a great idea to add beets to a sweet breakfast dish. I am sure it’s delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Puja :)!!
Todd | HonestlyYUM says
Crazy creative here, Brandon. BTW, I love punching morning in the face!! 😛
Adri says
This sounds like a terrific breakfast, and I bet the folks at Melissa’s were very pleased!
Kelly @jackandparker says
This is a stunning breakfast! I’m going to make this this week for sure.
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Kelly!
tasnim says
Quinoa is an amazing breakfast fr me. I like it. It gives me much energy.