Quinoa Pudding for Life

Every Saturday morning friends stop by to share a meal and talk about how life is treating them, how they are treating life, and how it all relates to the Creator. Breakfast is so life-giving, especially after a long night of wishing dinner had been more substantial, so the meal part of our gathering is highly anticipated.

There is usually a baked cereal on the menu and this weekend I served Quinoa Pudding with Pears and Toasted Almonds. You could have heard a pin drop, except for the satisfied sounds of enjoyment. The consistency is thick enough to be sliced once it cools, but you could increase the eggs and milk if you wanted more of a custard or pudding. This would make a delicious dessert parfait layered with sweetened mascarpone cheese and sprinkled with toasted almonds and shaved chocolate.

Quinoa, (pronounced keen-wah), is native to South America and is gluten free, fat free, rich in fiber, and is a powerhouse of protein -- many times more than rice or oatmeal.

Here's the recipe:

Quinoa Pudding with Pears and Toasted Almonds

1¼ hours | 20 min prep, up to 40 minutes oven time

Makes 12 servings: 206 Cal., 3.8g fat, 1.8g Fiber, 7g Protein

1 ½ C. quinoa*

3 1/2 to 4 C water

2 eggs or Ener-G egg replacement

2 egg whites, or Ener-G

3 Tbsp dry milk powder or dry goat milk powder

1 ½ C milk or milk substitute (coconut milk is lovely)

1 tsp almond extract

¾ C sugar (reserve 1 Tbsp for topping), (**see below for substitutions)

1 ½ C chopped pears, tossed in 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 C rough chopped toasted almonds

1 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter)

1/3 C dried cherries, rough chopped

¼ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

¼ C ground flax seed

cooking spray

1. Place quinoa in a bowl of water or in a fine sieve under running water. Clean off the bitter external layer by rubbing the grains between your hands. Drain and repeat several times. You will know the quinoa is clean when the water runs clear.

2. Bring 3 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add quinoa and when it returns to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until grains are translucent, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain any remaining water.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Chop almonds and spread on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, until golden and aromatic. Set aside to cool. Chop pears into 1/2" cubes and toss in lemon juice. Set aside.

4. To measure milk, place powdered milk in measuring cup and add milk to the 1 1/2 cup mark. Stir together to dissolve milk powder. If you do not have powdered milk, you could use yoghurt or whole milk. I use Vanilla Almond milk to avoid casein and add another layer of flavor.

5. Whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, almond extract, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until just combined. Warm the coconut oil (or butter) until nearly melted, about 10 seconds in the microwave. Stir until fully melted and add to the liquid. Mix in quinoa, nuts, and cherries and pears. Pour into a 9x13 baking pan prepared with a coat of cooking spray.

6. Stir together cinnamon and remaining tablespoon sugar and sprinkle over top of pudding. Bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, around 40 minutes. I've also prepared this in individual large custard cups, baking for only 30 minutes. (One of our friends is blind and he appreciates having sides on his dish so he can get every bite without making a mess!)

Serve warm or at room temperature.

* This recipe is delicious with 1 C white quinoa, 1/2 C black quinoa. They cook at different rates, so even though the regular quinoa is soft, the black stays a little crunchy to add some texture.

**If you want to avoid refined sugar, use agave nectar or honey for the sweetener. You can also use Stevia, but only use half as much because it's sweeter.

Make this a tropical dish by adding grated coconut, switch the fruit to pineapple, mango and use macadamia nuts instead of almonds. (They're really inexpensive at Big Lots!)

Another variation is chopped apples and dried cranberries with English walnuts.

I'm thinking about trying it with pumpkin, raisins and pecans around Thanksgiving.

I love it when there are left-overs to eat for breakfast during the week. In fact, I just might have some of this Quinoa Pudding for dessert tonight!