Hazelnut-Coconut Milk Breakfast Quinoa

Sometimes, breakfast just needs a little revamp.  For me, the morning meal usually consists of a green smoothie or maybe an apple with almond butter.  Super exciting, right??  This works great during the summer, but since it can be so cold and soggy here in the winter months, I find myself looking for something warm and comforting.  Since I'm not a bacon and eggs kind of girl and I'm doing my best to not eat waffles every day, I wanted to find an alternative to oatmeal that provides enough protein and textural interest to keep me engaged until lunch.

I came across a post on Food52 that had a listing of five vegan breakfast porridges...that looked like just the solution!!  Out of the five, the quinoa recipe was my favorite -  I changed a bit here and there to suit my taste more.  It's still a bit sweeter than what I usually choose, but hey, live a little!  Full confession time though, one morning I took this with me to my kitchen, only to find that I had forgotten all of the toppings.  So I dumped a bunch of house-made English toffee crumbles on it.  And yes, it was delicious.

Hazelnut-Coconut Breakfast Quinoa

Serves 4

3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and halved
1 cup quinoa, uncooked, or 3 c left over (in this case, skip the water and just heat in the coconut milk for a few minutes)
1 cup water
1 cup plus 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 T maple syrup
1/4 t. sea salt
1 cinnamon stick
4 pitted dates, chopped into small pieces

Rinse quinoa using a sieve until the rinse water runs clear. Bring the quinoa, maple syrup, sea salt, cinnamon, 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup water to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan. Let simmer until quinoa is fluffy and all liquid has absorbed (about 15-20 minutes). Turn off heat and fluff quinoa gently with a fork. Remove cinnamon stick, and portion into four bowls.  Divide the hazelnuts, dates, and remaining coconut milk to top.

Original post : http://food52.com/recipes/19277_toasted_almond_and_coconut_quinoa_porridge