Serves: 2-3
Fall is here!
Fall is an amazing season because it’s everything pumpkin!
Everyone loves those pumpkin spice lattes (guilty), so why not have some pumpkin spice porridge! I love this recipe for a weekend breakfast or even for dinner. With quinoa, pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and hemp milk, this meal is hearty and nutritional. A great source of vitamins and minerals to keep that hair flowing and body toned.
Needs
Pumpkin Spice:
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp all spice
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cardamom
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup pumpkin puree
quarter of a banana
Quinoa:
½ cup tri-color quinoa - soak overnight or rinse well before cooking
1 cup water
Toppings:
¼ cup hemp or coconut milk
hemp seeds
red d’ anjou pear
pumpkin seeds
Jam:
2 cups dried unsweetened cranberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut nectar (great sweetener and mineral source)
½ cup water
* Add a ½ tsp maple syrup or coconut sugar if you decide not to make the jam.
Getting Started
This cranberry jam provides great flavor for the pumpkin porridge but is also great for the kids PB&J’s! It’s tart, not to sweet and with the coconut nectar added, it’s a great source of minerals and amino acids. Not to mention this jam is super easy and quick to make! Feel free to make this the night before if needed. If not, no worries let’s get started!
Go ahead and place all jam ingredients provided above in your blender and blend until you have the desired consistency. When I make this, I like to pulse my blender to keep the jam a little clumpy like a preserve. Place this in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
Next is the quinoa, grab the ingredients listed above and cook. I prefer to cook mine in a rice cooker to get a nice fluffy texture!
While you have your quinoa going, grab a small bowl and place in all your dry pumpkin spice ingredients. With a fork mix them well and place in the vanilla, banana, and only ¼ cup of the pumpkin puree, stir. I’m sure you’re wondering why the banana. Well, why not? I buy baby food for my stepdaughter instead of the squeezes that are so popular now because the ingredients are pure (no sugar added) and a great source of vitamins and minerals on the go. Baby food is always using fruit to sweeten a vegetable puree so why not use that thinking here? Pumpkin puree is naturally very tasteless and to create that pumpkin spice sweet flavor we all love so much, often refined sugars are added. So instead of going that route, mash up your quarter banana with the rest of your spices :).
Once your quinoa is done, drain out any water you may have left. If cooking in a rice cooker you shouldn’t have any water remaining. Put the quinoa in a pot and mix in your pumpkin spice mixture. Only cook for about a minute and add in your coconut or hemp milk. Be sure not to overcook when spices have been mixed in or it will start to become bitter. Take off the stove and mix in your remaining ¼ cup pumpkin puree.
Toss in the remaining toppings listed above or add what you like! The pear is a nice subtle flavor with the jam and pumpkin while providing some more fiber for the bowl.
This one was a family favorite for us and I’m excited to see how it turns out for you! Recreate and tag @carrotlifeandlove, can’t wait to see your version!
Love & Carrots,
- B
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