Grains

Overnight Toasted Oat and Quinoa Bowl

by:
March 20, 2014
5
1 Ratings
Overnight Toasted Oat and Quinoa Bowl
  • Serves 3-4
Author Notes

I have delusions of grandeur about my ability to provide my family with healthful weekday breakfasts. I dream of rising with the roosters that start crowing at 4 am, sizzling butter, thick pancake batter filled with whole grains, fresh fruit and warm maple syrup. However, if I'm being honest with myself, unless I've made the pancakes the weekend before and frozen them, this is just a dream. Upon close inspection, weekday mornings are inevitably more frazzled, filled with unexpected bumps as the clock ticks closer to our ETD to ensure on-time arrival at school. I like the idea of overnight oats, but don't particularly like them cold. This is an amalgam of quick breakfast ideas, combined to create, in my mind, an ideal quick weekday breakfast. NOTE: if you source gluten free oats, this is easily gluten free. Also, feel free to change up the kind of milk, add-ins and fruit as desired. —gingerroot

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup thick rolled whole grain oats, I used Bob's Red Mill (gluten free if desired)
  • 1/4 cup quinoa
  • 1 3/4 cups almond milk
  • 1/2 ripe banana, sliced (unless you have an apple banana, in which case use the whole thing)
  • 1 whole dried date, pitted, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of ground ginger
  • pinch of ground cardamom
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (or other fruit of choice)
Directions
  1. DO THE NIGHT BEFORE: In a dry skillet, toast oats and quinoa over medium heat until fragrant and golden. Stir to prevent burning. Quinoa will start to pop.
  2. Add toasted grains to an assembled blender jar (with blade attached at bottom). Add all of the remaining ingredients except the blueberries. Place blender lid on blender jar and refrigerate overnight.
  3. IN THE MORNING: Place blender jar on base and puree mixture for 10 second intervals until combined. Add contents of blender to a small pot, add blueberries and heat until mixture bubbles. Divide into bowls and serve. Alternatively, divide blender contents into 4 microwaveable bowls, add blueberries to each bowl and nuke each bowl for 1 minute and 20 seconds. I used the microwave and was pleased with the results. Quick and delicious!
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  • AntoniaJames
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  • savorthis
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  • hardlikearmour
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  • gingerroot
    gingerroot
gingerroot

Recipe by: gingerroot

My most vivid childhood memories have to do with family and food. As a kid, I had the good fortune of having a mom who always encouraged trying new things, and two grandmothers who invited me into their kitchens at a young age. I enjoy cooking for the joy it brings me - sharing food with loved ones - and as a stress release. I turn to it equally during good times and bad. Now that I have two young children, I try to be conscientious about what we cook and eat. Right about the time I joined food52, I planted my first raised bed garden and joined a CSA; between the two I try to cook as sustainably and organically as I can. Although I'm usually cooking alone, my children are my favorite kitchen companions and I love cooking with them. I hope when they are grown they will look back fondly at our time spent in the kitchen, as they teach their loved ones about food-love. Best of all, after years on the mainland for college and graduate school, I get to eat and cook and raise my children in my hometown of Honolulu, HI. When I'm not cooking, I am helping others grow their own organic food or teaching schoolchildren about art.

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6 Reviews

AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames March 28, 2014
Do you rinse the quinoa? I'm trying to figure out how you get rid of the bitterness. Or do the banana + date take care of that? I cannot picture rinsing and then toasting the quinoa . . . . ;o)
 
gingerroot
gingerroot March 28, 2014
Hi AJ, You know I've become accustomed to not rinsing quinoa when I'm toasting it. It does not, to my palate, taste bitter. Incidentally, the brand I buy from Costco Nature's Wild
 
gingerroot
gingerroot March 28, 2014
Oops! sorry about that, somehow that posted mid-sentence. Nature's Wild Grains Organic Quinoa claims to be pre-washed and states that no further rinsing is necessary. Whether or not that is true is another story but in any case I do not rinse my quinoa before toasting. I did read another recipe that calls for rinsing first, assuring the reader that it will toast when the water evaporates. In any case, if you give this a try I'd love to hear your thoughts.
 
savorthis
savorthis March 25, 2014
What an interesting method! I have been a slave to the overnight slow cooker oatmeal but this is really intriguing. It seems you could almost eat it as is like muesli (with shredded apples too) OR heat it up. And I hear you on the crazed mornings. It's pure insanity- over and over and over again!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot March 28, 2014
Thank you savorthis! I'd love to know what you think if you give this a try.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour March 23, 2014
I just had a beet, greens, and fresh ricotta salad that was dressed with a vinaigrette and sprinkled with popped quinoa. LOVE the popped quinoa and think it would be awesome in your porridge!