Quinoa Fruit Salad (Quick Protein Rich Breakfast!)

Are you tired of having oatmeal, chia pudding or bread for breakfast? Try this Quinoa Fruit Salad! It is packed with flavor and high in protein content – perfect to keep you going until lunchtime. I’ve been adding quinoa to my lunch salads for years now, but I’ve only started having it for breakfast until recently. I find it’s really easy to digest, easier than oatmeal, and you can experiment with so many flavors!

Quinoa Fruit Salad

SERVES: 1 person

EQUIPMENT: cooking pot, stove, fine-mesh strainer, mixing bowl

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup of quinoa
¼ cup of orange juice
1/8 teaspoon of orange zest (or more to taste)
2 large pinches of cinnamon
2 large pinches of vanilla powder
2 cups of fresh fruit
1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon of hemp seeds
Fresh mint, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it with cool water.
2. Combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water in a cooking pot and bring to a rolling boil.
3. Lower the heat and cook covered for 5 to 10 minutes until the quinoa starts to ‘bloom’.
4. Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the stove.
5. Pour away any excess water and leave to cool. 6. Put the cooled quinoa in a mixing bowl and add orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon and vanilla powder. Stir well with a fork or spoon.
6. Serve the spiced quinoa with fresh fruit of your choice. Top with pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds and fresh mint.

JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:

• This Quinoa Fruit Salad will stay fresh for at least 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Always remember to rinse your quinoa well with cold or lukewarm water before sprouting or cooking it. Quinoa seeds are coated with saponins, which are naturally-occurring plant chemicals that are meant to keep insects from eating the plant. These saponins taste bitter and they are hard to digest. By rinsing your quinoa, you will be able to remove most of the saponins.
• Pumpkin seeds are loaded with zinc, an important mineral for beautiful skin, a healthy digestion and a strong immune system.

Now I would love to hear from you! What do you like to have for breakfast? Smoothies, juices, protein shakes, chia pudding, pancakes, bread, oatmeal, quinoa porridge, fresh fruit, muffins, cinnamon roll, Mexican breakfast burrito… Let me know by leaving a comment down below.