Sunday, March 6, 2011

Breakfast: The Meal of Champions

Newest food obsession: quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). 

Quinoa is a seed that is grown in South America. It has a light, fluffy texture when cooked and a mild nutty flavor. It's packed with protein, amino acids and dietary fiber, making it a nutrient-packed alternative to brown rice or couscous. 


It's a tad pricier than rice or couscous, but considering the nutrients in this little seed and the bomb.com flavor, I'd say it's worth the few extra pennies. If you don't have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's in your area, check for this grain in the organic section of your local grocery store (I'm not 100% sure Wal-Mart Supercenters carry it). 

I'm telling you, dear readers... I am loving this new "diet" I have been on for 3 weeks and counting. There is an alternative to everything I crave: chocolate, something sweet, carbs, Mexican food... you name it, I have a healthy alternative. 

The quinoa obsession continued this morning as I tried my hand at a new recipe- Quinoa Pancakes. Many thanks to Liz for introducing me to this delish healthy grain, which is now a staple in my pantry.

You can find the original recipe here, however, note below how I changed it to fit my needs and lower the cals even more.

Quinoa Pancakes
1 cup cooked quinoa (I fixed it the night before so less prep time in the morning)
3/4 cup wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for skillet
1/4 cup unsweetened Vanilla almond milk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (where most of the cals come from, but considering this is a "natural sweetener," its ok... I imagine you could use agave and/or honey too)
*fresh fruit or sugar-free fruit preserves for topping

Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, butter, milk, and syrup until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
  2. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (reduce heat to medium if overbrowning). Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit or preserves if desired.

Quinoa Pancakes = thebombshizzy
...and the March Madness continues!!

5 comments:

RAW said...

Thank you for sharing. I'm going to have to try and make these next week. I'd love to hear more of your healthy substitutes. I'm trying to lose weight and be healthier overall, but I feel like my diet could still use an overhaul. Anything else you can share would be appreciated! :)

Congrats on your success so far. Sounds like you're doing an awesome job.

Oh, and thank you for all of your sweet and encouraging comments on my blog! It means a lot :)

cynthia gayle said...

These look so tasty!!

christie @ ckanani.com said...

YUM! i gotta try these :) thanks for the fun idea!! xo

Ashley said...

Hmmmm, sounds interesting! I may need to try this out! I'm trying to eat a lot better these days too!

Becca said...

Mmm these sound delish! I have never tried quinoa before but I've been wanting to. May have to give these pancakes a go!