Breakfast quinoa with Greek yogurt and berries

Any given day of the week, I have leftovers from a cooking demo. It may be half an onion, a partial can of chickpeas, or, in this case, a half cup of cooked, tri-color quinoa.

I had the quinoa leftover from a demo I did for Artichoke last week. The theme was “plant-powered Buddha bowls”, and quinoa was the base. I paired it with roasted veggies, three different beans, three different sauces, and some fresh toppings. It. Was. Delicious!

Quinoa is one of my go-to grains for demos. It’s gluten-free, making it accessible to anyone on a gluten-free diet, and it’s a good source of both protein and fiber. Fun fact, quinoa also provides 10% of the Daily Value for iron, the number one nutrient deficiency worldwide.

You can find a bag of organic quinoa for $4.00 at Aldi, which is a great price. A little quinoa goes a long way, so you don’t have to cook much to serve a crowd.

Today I combined my quinoa with Oikos triple zero vanilla Greek yogurt, some chopped strawberries, and almond slivers. Holy cow! It was delightful. This was a simple combination that can replace your hot oatmeal in warmer months.

Quinoa can be batch-cooked and frozen for later meals. Be sure to cool it after cooking and store it in glass containers. Frozen berries may be used in place of fresh. I think this would be tasty with lemon yogurt and blueberries.

Below is the “recipe”:

½ cup cooked/cold quinoa

½ cup Oikos triple zero vanilla yogurt

5 large strawberries, cut into quarters

1 Tbsp. slivered almonds

Makes 1 serving. Nutrition facts per serving: 297 calories, 44 grams carbs, 6 grams fat, 5 grams fiber, 19 grams protein, 12 mg cholesterol, 65 mg sodium.