Kleen Almond Berry Quinoa Porridge

This morning I decided I wasn't in the mood for my typical eggs and bacon breakfast, so I decided to experiment with something I heard about a while ago -- quinoa porridge! It was super simple, fairly quick (quicker than boiling steel cut oats!), extremely nourishing, amazingly delicious, and of course, Kleen! And for those of you unfamiliar with quinoa, it's actually not a grain, as most people tend to think (even foodie mags), it's a seed derived from the goosewort plant, a relative to swiss chard and spinach, which makes it much more easily digestible. It also contains all nine amino acids, officially qualifying it as a complete protein. So fear not... if you typically enjoy a protein-rich breakfast, quinoa stacks up pretty nicely. One cup of cooked quinoa has fifty percent more protein than oatmeal at nine grams of protein while oatmeal provides

only six. And if you're a migraine sufferer, then quinoa is your new friend with an impressive load of magnesium and riboflavin, both of which help reduce the intensity and frequency of migraine headaches. It also boasts a decent level of vitamin B-6 and iron, both of which leave you feeling energized while giving your metabolism a lovely boost!

So, here's the scrumptious recipe for my Kleen Almond Berry Quinoa Porridge!

• 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup of almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 1/2 cup of raw almonds (chopped, slivered, or whole, but I like whole!)
• 2 tablespoons of almond butter
• 1.5 cups of mixed berries (I used frozen blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries)
• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• honey, maple syrup, or stevia to taste

Directions: Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa to a medium size saucepan and boil the water. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover for fifteen minutes or until all the water is absorbed by the quinoa. Add your milk, vanilla extract, almond butter, and cinnamon and stir well. Once desired consistency is reached, toss in the berries, almonds, and chia seeds and mix thoroughly. If you use frozen berries like I did, the color will probably turn purple. Finally, taste and add sweetener if desired. Serves 4.

I promise, this recipe will NOT let you down. It was seriously so delicious I almost couldn't stop eating it. And all the almonds that abound in this recipe will give you close to a day's worth of calcium and magnesium (and you know how much I love magnesium!), and an awesome source of healthy fats. And the berries are chock-full of antioxidants, which help destroy free radicals, which are the vicious little mutants that cause cancer. As for the chia seeds, they offer a great source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids as well as more magnesium, calcium, and iron! Oh, and the cinnamon... it's blood sugar balancing, so you shouldn't suffer from a mid-morning slump that leaves you reaching for a donut. I'd say all around, this might be the new breakfast of champions. But I'll let you decide that one for yourself.

Oh, and did I mention it's gluten-free AND vegan AND paleo/primal?! :)

Enjoy!

--Keely