Creamy Quinoa & Chia Porridge

Autumn is here, and it's getting too cool for cold breakfasts of raw chia pudding and green smoothies. The other morning I was trying to think of something warm and comforting for breakfast while browsing through food photos on Instagram (as you do), and I noticed a photo of banana chia quinoa porridge that was posted by Jessica Cox (a nutritionist with lots of great recipes), and I was inspired! I couldn't find a recipe, so I just made up my own. (Thanks for the idea, Jessica!)

I love quinoa, but whenever I've tried to make quinoa flakes into porridge it's usually ended up kind of sludgey, and I didn't really enjoy it. Until now. Adding chia made all the difference for me, as well as cooking it very lightly, not overcooking it. And I'm sure all the coconut cream, banana, cinnamon and nuts helped as well!

You could cook it in the Thermomix like I do, or in a pan on the stovetop if you keep the heat really low and stir until done. Or use the soak overnight method (below the recipe).

Note: The addition of mesquite powder is optional. I love to use it in my breakfast porridge as it's low GI and great for stablising blood sugar levels, plus it's high in minerals and protein. So when you combine that with chia and quinoa, you have a breakfast that keeps you from getting the blood sugar 'lows' all morning. (It's also slightly sweet, and has a caramelly flavour that goes well with the bananas and cinnamon.) Mesquite flour and chia are both traditional foods of native Americans, and it's really interesting to see these ancient 'health foods' making a comeback! My Cherokee great great grandma would be pleased to know I'm using them. :)

Quinoa & Chia Porridge

Serves 4

Weigh almonds into Thermomix bowl, and grind for 10 seconds on speed 9.
- 100g raw almonds

Add water and blend on speed 9 for 1 minute.
- 500g water

[Note: if you can't have nuts, you could use 600g of your preferred milk in place of the almond milk. Coconut milk is nice, and since it's so creamy you can reduce it to 300g milk plus 300g water.]

Add the quinoa flakes, chia seeds, honey, spices, vanilla, mesquite powder & salt, and cook at 50C for 5 minutes, reverse speed 2. (Gently blend it up for a few seconds first on speed 3 to mix together.)
- 50g quinoa flakes
- 50g chia seeds
- 2 Tbspns raw honey (or preferred sweetener)
- 2 tps ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 3 Tbspns mesquite powder (opt)
- a pinch of Himalayan salt

Spoon into bowls and serve topped with:
- coconut milk or yoghurt
- sliced bananas (or whatever fruit you like)
- chopped walnuts (opt)
- a drizzle of pure maple syrup
- a sprinkle of cinnamon


Overnight soak method:

Make almond milk, mix with other ingredients apart from toppings, and refrigerate overnight. Next morning, warm gently then serve topped with fruit, nuts, etc.

Layered Maqui Chia Pudding

Chia pudding (or porridge) is a staple part of my diet. I eat it for breakfast or morning tea, afternoon tea or supper. Sometimes all four! If I'm rushed, I eat it for lunch too. I'm kind of addicted to it. Here's why:

1. It's delicious. Think berries and cream with a chocolatey-nutty crunch!

2. It's quick and easy. It only takes 5-10 minutes to make my quick version.

3. It makes lots and lasts for a week in the fridge. So I can make up a big batch and have enough for a few days.

4. It's versatile. Every batch I make is slightly different to the last, depending on what I have on hand. (See variations below)

5. It's healthy. Chia has approximately 6 times more calcium than milk, as well as being high in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, and other essential minerals. Then there's all the goodness of the Maqui berry powder with it's high level of antioxidants, the coconut cream with it's lauric acid, and the benefits of whatever other superfoods you add, like goji berries and cacao nibs.

6. It's the perfect low GI, natural, 'sweet treat'. It keeps me from getting 'hangry' halfway through the morning or afternoon. {Hangry: 'A state of anger caused by a lack of food.' Know what I mean?} Chia seeds and mesquite powder are both great blood sugar stabilizers. As my mum used to say when she gave us porridge for breakfast, "It'll stick to your ribs!"

7. It travels well. I pop a batch into a jar and take it with me as I dash out the door. I even took some on the aeroplane the other day for my lunch... The guy next to me was looking at me a little strangely as I ate my pudding and drank my green smoothie from a jar, but hey, I'd rather that than the dry white bread sandwich and softdrink he had for lunch!

And if that's not enough, here's Jess the Wellness Warrior's 13 Reasons to Eat Chia Seeds Every Day!

One Layered Maqui Chia Pudding to go...

And just in case that's not enough reasons for you to try chia pudding - it looks pretty! Especially when you layer it.

There's lots of different recipes around for chia puddings and porridges, usually involving at least 40 minutes of soaking time, or soaking overnight. Sarah from 'Homemade, Healthy, Happy' has a delicious one here that I love, but I decided I wanted a quicker version - I'm usually in a last minute rush in the mornings, so 40 minutes seems a bit too long to wait for the soaking time. I find that by warming the pudding gently for a few minutes at 37C, the chia seeds soak up the liquid just as well as when they are soaked, without being 'cooked' and losing their goodness. I also wanted to make one that was kind of fun - which is why I layered it and called it a pudding instead of a porridge. ;-)

I've tried lots of different versions of chia pudding, and pretty much love them all. But this one is how I make it most of the time - with superfood Maqui powder for an antioxidant boost, plus lots of other yummy bits and pieces. My Instagram friends come up with some great combos, and I'm continually being inspired by other people's versions, like these on my Facebook page. To give you some more ideas of possible variations, here's a few others I've seen that look great!

- Coconut Water Chia Porridge (I keep meaning to try this, but I love coconut water so much that I always drink it before the porridge gets made!)

- Apple Cinnamon Chia Porridge

- Chocolate Chia Pudding

- Pumpkin Chia Pudding

- Berry & Nut Chia Porridge

- Chia Porridge with Blueberries & Pecans

- Chia Porridge with Pear, Cinnamon & Vanilla

- Warm Chia Porridge with Herbal Tea

...and if you google 'chia pudding' and 'chia porridge' you'll come up with heaps more! The variations are endless.

{Note: Some people find too much chia can bother their tummy, especially if it's not soaked. If you find my quick version doesn't agree with you, try soaking the chia in the almond milk overnight in the fridge, then continue recipe as below. This is usually only the case for people with gut issues.}

Layered Maqui Chia Pudding 

First make the almond milk (below), or you can use coconut milk or coconut water instead.

1. Weigh almonds into Thermomix bowl and grind on speed 9 for 20 seconds:

- 100g raw almonds

2. Add water and blend on speed 9 for 1 minute:

- 550g filtered water

3. Add following ingredients, and cook at 37C for 5 minutes, speed 1:

- 85g chia seeds

- 2-3 tsp Maqui berry powder

- 1-2 tsp Mesquite powder

- 2 Tbspns Yacon syrup or raw honey

- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

- pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)

- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

- a handful of raw cacao nibs

- a handful or two of goji berries and/or sultanas

Maqui berry powder - full of antioxidants!

4. Remove pudding to a dish or large jar to keep in the fridge. (It will be a little runny at first, but I make it like that on purpose because it gets thicker as it sits, and I don't like it too thick.) For each serving, layer the following in a glass or jar in the order given:

- a few Tblspns chia pudding

- a handful of raw cashews or macadamias

- a few blueberries

- a few raspberries

- a couple of blobs of coconut cream

- a drizzle of pure maple syrup

Repeat the layers.

Variations:

- Instead of vanilla bean paste, you can use a whole vanilla bean. Pop it in with the almonds and grind them up, then add water and blend.

- If you don't have Maqui powder or Mesquite powder, that's okay. I like to use them because they add extra goodness and the Maqui makes the chia such a lovely colour, but it will taste fine without. Try stirring in some homemade (sugar free) strawberry jam instead - my friend Emma suggested this, and it's delicious!!

- Try a coconut version: blend up the water and flesh of a young (green) coconut and use that instead of almond milk; leave out the yacon syrup or honey as the coconut water is sweet enough on it's own.

- If you can't have nuts, try coconut flakes instead, or maybe some toasted pepitas.

- Swap the coconut cream for coconut milk yoghurt, and instead of berries try some slices of mango. Drizzle over some passionfruit pulp instead of pure maple syrup.

- Try cherries with cacao nibs and chocolate covered goji berries, topped with coconut flakes. Mmmm....

- Fresh and juicy peaches, nectarines or strawberries are great too, instead of the berries.

- You could use other sweeteners besides Yacon syrup or honey or pure maple syrup - some prefer agave syrup, or coconut nectar, or carob syrup. Even stevia would work in the chia pudding. I would suggest sticking to a liquid sweetener though, as granulated sugars such as Rapadura wouldn't mix in so well.

Let me know what other great variations you come up with!

 

Now, for those of you who would like to try some Yacon Syrup, Mesquite Powder or Agave Syrup, Loving Earth has kindly given me some to give away. So leave a comment below saying what variation of Chia Pudding you'd like to try, and next Saturday (17th November) I'll pick 3 comments via Random.org and the winners will receive one of the above products to try! One comment each please, and let me know which product you'd prefer to win in your comment, so I can put you in the right prize draw. Woo hoo, thank you Loving Earth!!

{To find out more about all these interesting ingredients I use, click on the links and they will take you to pages with more info.}