Strawberry Jam Breakfast Quinoa

Am I the only one with serious issues pronouncing the word quinoa?

It can be just a bit frustrating when you’re cooking with something you can’t even pronounce.

Real life example:

The Mr: Hey honey, what’s for breakfast?ย 

Me: Uhhh…We’re having Strawberry Key-noah…errrr…Kwin-wah. I mean…Kwee-no-ah? Dang it! I give up! We’re having Strawberry jam with little grain balls!ย 

Yeah, not a good way to convince your husband to try something new.

So after completely turning the Mr. off to the idea of grainy balls, I finally looked it up and learned (drum roll please) it’s pronounced KEEN-wah. Wouldn’t have been my first choice, but hey, at least now we know.

And it turns out KEEN-wah is actually a pretty fantastic grain. It’s hearty and filling and makes a delightful breakfast when swirled with coconut milk, strawberry jam, and cinnamon.

This feels like comfort food, but offers a lot more nutrition than your typical carb loaded breakfast fare. It’s creamy and rich without being overly heavy, gluten free, AND vegan! In other words, awesome.

Branch out from oatmeal and give KEEN-wah a try. But do yourself and everyone else a favor and call it by it’s real name. It’ll be a lot more appealing than the description.

Strawberry Jam Breakfast Quinoa
Yield: Serves 2
Recipe by Neighborfood

1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
3/4 cup canned light coconut milk plus the remainder of the can for drizzling
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt
3-4 Tablespoons good quality strawberry jam (gluten free if needed)
Assorted chopped, toasted nuts (I used pecans and almond slivers)ย optional

Directions:
Combine quinoa, coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 12-15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Divide quinoa between two bowls and add 1 1/2-2 Tablespoons of jam to each. Divide chopped nuts evenly between bowls. Serve warm with additional drizzles of coconut milk.

6 Comments

  1. I always pronounce it wrong in my head, especially when I read it. I’m sorry, but I do not read it as Keenwah. It just doesn’t look like that. I have gotten to the point where I can say it correctly out loud though. Whew.

    1. I totally agree. It doesn’t look at all like Keen-wah! But at least now I know enough to not look totally foolish in restaurants or grocery stores. ๐Ÿ™‚

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