ADVENTURES IN HEALTHY EATING: QUINOA PUDDING

It's fitting to follow up that last post with a food post, yes? Two things I never really do on this blog already done in one day! What's going on with me? It must be the change in food, ha! So it's day 4 of our new food lifestyle and we're both doing quite awesome. Andres has an easier time just throwing together a quick salad and calling it a day, but me, I have to go all out. In order for me to stick to this new lifestyle I need to adapt meals & snacks that I couldn't live without before and give them a healthy makeover.

I'm a crazy sugar fanatic - sweets of all kinds make me giddy, but to be honest, end up hurting my tummy a few minutes later. So, to get me all hyped up on new things to eat, I started adding new blogs to my Reader that focus on vegetarian/healthy recipes. On my search I came across this cutie - Canelle et Vanille. Wow, her blog/journal is beautiful! I want to devour all of her recipes. I looked for something quick & simple that had ingredients I had lying around and Quinoa Pudding caught my attention. Just like her, I grew up loving arroz con leche, but as I grew older became lactose intolerant (which makes sense now, knowing that our systems aren't meant to digest dairy). I've never thought of eating quinoa in sweet form - genius! Lucky for me, I love it so was very intrigued to give this recipe a shot. (I actually made it this morning).

I tweaked her version a bit to suit my non-dairy needs, so here's the recipe:

Buy this:

3 cups coconut milk (Trader Joe's just started carrying this and it's very tasty!)
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract (I used Trader Joe's Pure Boubon Vanilla Extract) or one vanilla bean
2 tablespoons of agave nectar (I use this instead of sugar and works perfectly as a sweetner)
pinch of salt
1 cup quinoa (This makes a lot! You'll have plenty for the week, or to share with 6 friends)
a handful of diced strawberries
pinches of cinnamon or 3 cinnamon sticks (Mmm, your place will smell like xmas!)
chopped pistachios (Sadly, I didn't have these lying around, but it's a nice touch)

Do this:

+ Place the quinoa in a mesh strainer and rinse it with cold water for a few seconds to get the bitter residue off that most quinoa has when you buy it in bulk bins. 

+ In a medium saucepan bring coco milk, agave, salt, cinnamon & vanilla to a very slight boil (this will quickly and easily start overflowing if you don't watch it). 

+ Add quinoa & stir (If you want your pudding to come out more on the liquidy side, add less quinoa or add more coco milk...OR you can just add additional coco milk once you're ready to eat)

+ Reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot slightly, and cook for about 30 minutes stirring every so often to avoid sticking. 

+ Put spoonfuls of your quinoa pudding in a cute jar or bowl and place in refrigerator if you want a cold snack or eat right away for a warm treat.

+ Cut strawberries & pistachios and sprinkle on top. Also add a little pinch of cinnamon to the top for extra pazow!

That was fun! I can get used to this whole Junia cooking and sharing thing. Watch out!

song: still sounds by toro y moi