Is this the most nutritious super-breakfast ever?

Quinoa and fruit porridge

It’s January and we could all do with a boost. The French may disagree with me, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day (most of my French friends shudder at the thought of a hot breakfast, unless by “hot breakfast” you mean dipping a croissant into a bowl of coffee).

Oats are a fabulous basis for a breakfast and contain many nutrients which help to combat depression, lower cholesterol, help control blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes, can help in weight loss, and can help prevent heart disease(see this, or this, or this article)

To the traditional porridge mix I have added quinoa. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein. Lack of protien is thought to contribute to people feeling hungry (and therefore quinoa can help combat weight gain). Quinoa also contains many of the nutrients you need to help control diabetes, prevent heart disease and cancer. (see this, this or this article)

I have also added fresh and dried fruit. They taste great, add natural sugar to the mixture and are good for you! I add banana at the end as bananas also contain lots of nutrients that help combat high blood pressure and also contain precursors to (chemicals that your body can breakdown to make) serotonin, the brain chemical which makes you feel good (many modern antidepressants work by keeping serotonin in your brain to lift your mood). To read more about the benefits of eating bananas read this, this or this article)

Bananas and Quinoa are two of the very few things we buy which are imported from outside the EU (we try to buy French produce where possible). They are so good for you, so we make the exception…

Anyhoo, here is my recipe

This makes a big bowl (when cooked it almost fills a 500ml bowl) for breakfast, if you don’t have a big appetite you may want to start by cutting the quantities in half.

2 heaped desert spoon of cooked quinoa (I cook quinoa in bulk and then decant it into small tubs, which I can then freeze and use when I want – use this recipe to cook the quinoa – just cook it in water without adding anything else)

1/2 tea spoon of mixed spice

2 desert spoons of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, what every you like)

2 heaped desert spoons of compote (cooked apple, rhubarb or anything else you like)

1 pear (peeled and chopped finely)

If you wish you can mess about with the fruit above – use all fresh fruit if you want, or all dried fruit or preserved fruit if you don’t have fresh

5 heaped desert spoons of porridge oats

1 banana (chopped finely)

300mls oat milk (or whichever milk you prefer)

Put everything into a bowl (it needs to be big, at least 500mls), apart from the banana.

Stir and put in microwave and cook on full for 4 minutes.

Take out of microwave. Stir and leave to stand for 4 minutes.

Stir again and cook on full for 1-2 minutes

Stir in the banana.

Eat and enjoy!

3placedesarbres: a vegetarian b&b in the heart of Felletin, a beautiful market town, close to Aubusson, in Central France. Why not treat yourself to a break in our guesthouse in the Limousin region of France