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Cinnamon Walnut Quinoa with Raisins

March 8, 2011 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 22 Comments

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cinnamon walnut quinoa with raisins

Meet the new porridge!

Goldilocks is sure to eat all three bowls of this delicious “dressed up oatmeal”!

Except it’s not oatmeal!!!

This gluten-free breakfast is sure to please the entire family, not just those who need to eat sans gluten. It’s cooked quinoa with a little sweetness and cinnamon, then topped with walnuts and raisins.

Move on over Wheaties…this is the new breakfast of champions!

cinnamon walnut quinoa with raisins

Protein from the quinoa and the nuts, small dose of fruit from the raisins, and a little bit of antioxidant from the cinnamon!

Serve with with some milk, or as is. Serve it with some fresh fruit, or as is.

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Cinnamon Walnut Quinoa with Raisins

This gluten-free breakfast is sure to please the entire family!
Prep Time5 minutes minutes
Cook Time15 minutes minutes
Servings - 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups white quinoa
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup sweetener (I used brown sugar)
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • Couple handfuls of chopped walnuts
  • Couple handfuls of raisins, or dried cranberries
  • Optional: Milk, cream or yogurt
  • Fresh fruit to accompany

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the quinoa with a pinch of salt. Once it returns to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
  • As the quinoa nears the end of its cooking time, stir in the sweetener and the cinnamon. Remove from heat once it has finished cooking.
  • Sprinkle the chopped walnuts and raisins/cranberries over the top.
  • Serve warm with or without milk, cream or yogurt.
  • Serve with a side of fresh fruit.

cinnamon walnut quinoa with raisins

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28 shares
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Filed Under: Breakfast Recipes, Budget Friendly Recipes, Dairy Free Meal Ideas, Food Allergies on a Budget, Gluten Free Casein Free Soy Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Quinoa Recipes Tagged With: popular recipes

Comments

  1. Candi says

    March 8, 2011 at 11:27 am

    Yum! I’ll have to try this next week for an extra boost of protein for breakfast!

    Reply
  2. Beth W says

    March 8, 2011 at 11:35 am

    HOw many people does this feed?

    Reply
    • Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says

      March 8, 2011 at 6:33 pm

      4 breakfast servings

      Reply
  3. Siri says

    March 8, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    What is quinoa? And where do you find it in the grocery store?

    Reply
    • Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says

      March 8, 2011 at 6:33 pm

      It’s an “ancient grain.” My store sells it in the “natural and organic section,” or it can be found on Amazon.

      Reply
      • Karla says

        March 8, 2011 at 8:25 pm

        You’ll also find it at club store’s like Costco.

        Reply
    • Tammi Kibler @keenonquinoa says

      March 11, 2011 at 9:46 am

      I love quinoa for breakfast. I start the day energized and stay full for hours.

      I usually find quinoa in the rice aisle of my grocer, but I have also found it in the special diets aisle, baking aisle, or cereal aisle (in the Bob’s Red Mill display). Whole Foods sells quinoa in bulk bins. I go there to stock up on red quinoa.

      Reply
  4. Susie's Homemade says

    March 8, 2011 at 7:07 pm

    I have been looking for some healthier alternatives for breakfast!

    Reply
  5. LisaE says

    March 8, 2011 at 8:04 pm

    I checked my store to see how quinoa was and thought it was pretty expensive but I will check again as I really want to try it as it is so healthy.

    This recipe looks so good and if I do buy quinoa this will be the first recipe I make with it.

    Reply
    • Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says

      March 9, 2011 at 9:03 am

      You might find it for less on Amazon or in a warehouse club or health food stores Lisa! It’s certainly one of those ingredients you want to price out and find the lowest option!

      Erin

      Reply
    • Allie says

      March 9, 2011 at 9:58 am

      I think I’ve seen it in the bulk bins at whole foods. You might try Trader Joe’s too.

      Reply
      • LisaE says

        March 13, 2011 at 6:32 pm

        Thanks….but we have no Trader Joe’s around here:(

        Reply
      • LisaE says

        March 13, 2011 at 6:34 pm

        Thanks for the tip, Erin. I checked again this morning at my local grocery store and I was right-for a small bag of quinoa it is $11.98. A bit too expensive right now but maybe someday when I don’t have to buy much some week I will pick up a bag. I have heard so much about and been wanting to try it.

        I will check Amazon also!

        Reply
        • Kathy says

          February 3, 2013 at 7:15 pm

          Costco sells it for a reasonable price for a large bag of it. Plus a little goes a long way, when cooked, it doubles the amount like rice does, so if you cook 2 cups you end up with 4 cups. It also freezes well so if you cook more than you need just freeze in a freezer bag until needed.

          Reply
  6. TheGourmetCoffeeGuy says

    March 9, 2011 at 12:21 am

    Great post and photos. You are right: quinoa is delicious and a great alternative to other hot and cold cereals. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  7. Amy's Stocking Stuffers says

    March 9, 2011 at 11:01 am

    I definitely want to try this, although I’m going to explore whether I can fix it in my slow cooker, because I NEVER seem to get rice or grains right when I try them on the stovetop.

    I honestly didn’t think quinoa was all that expensive. Whole Foods sells it in the bulk aisle so you can buy just as much as you want, or buy a box.

    Reply
  8. Jenny says

    March 9, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    We’ll be trying this very soon. I bought a box of quinoa awhile back, then lost the recipe I planned to try. This sounds good, and I like the idea of a healthier hot breakfast (that is also easy for me!)

    Reply
  9. Katherine says

    March 10, 2011 at 9:52 am

    Tried it this morning! We liked it, but I need a little more flavor for my taste so we added some organic applesauce. I really liked it like that! We also didn’t have any walnuts, so we added sliced almonds. Thanks for the recipe! I have cooked quinoa for awhile, but I never thought to cook it for breakfast! I got a large bag of organic quinoa for less than $10 at Costco.

    Reply
  10. AnnieD says

    March 13, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    Looks awesome! I am allergic to wheat and dairy and gluten-intolerant… Thanks for the recipe! When I make this, I will substitute the milk or cream for almond milk or vanilla soy milk. Coconut milk would work, too. Thanks for the great recipe! 🙂

    Reply
  11. ElanaF says

    June 23, 2011 at 3:20 am

    Hi. This sounds so good. I never thought of using quinoa in this way. Definitely going to give it a try. Just one question, can agave syrup be substituted for the brown sugar? and do I use 1/4 cup or less.
    Thank you

    Reply
  12. Jackie says

    August 23, 2011 at 7:41 pm

    Can you cook it for 1 person and refrigate the rest for the next day?

    Reply
    • Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says

      August 25, 2011 at 8:27 pm

      Yes Jackie…I have a post about that very thing coming soon! You can cook a big batch and then portion out single serve portions into smaller plastic containers and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Mix in what you like to the plain quinoa every morning for a quick, nutritious breakfast!

      Reply

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