This quick and easy breakfast dish is packed full of protein, fibre and Iron to give our bodies a great start to the day. Quinoa is one of the best plant sources of protein and has been a staple food since the ancient Incas.

I always thought that Quinoa was a savoury dish but having discovered this recipe in an American cookbook (which I hasten to say had 2 tablespoons of butter in it 😳) I thought lets give it a go without the butter…….. and it works perfectly.

Serves 4

230g quinoa

1 ltr water

1 eating apple, cored and chopped

50g dried cranberries, plus extra for serving

50g walnuts

150ml semi-skimmed milk, plus extra for serving (optional)

2 tbs honey, plus extra for serving

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Put the quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and rinse under the cold tap. This will remove its natural slightly bitter coating. Put the rinsed quinoa into a saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the apple chunks and cranberries and continue to cook, covered over a low heat, until the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes more.

In the meantime, toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool, then coarsely chop.

When the quinoa is cooked, stir in the milk, 2tbs of honey, most of the chopped walnuts and the cinnamon and cook until the milk is heated through, about 1 minute.

Spoon the cereal into serving bowls and top with the remaining toasted walnuts and a few extra cranberries.

Serve with extra drizzle of honey and milk to taste.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chefs Notes: this reheats very well in the microwave to save time in the morning, make a batch and keep in the fridge, and garnish with the extra walnuts, cranberries and honey just before serving.