Quinoa with Fruit

I think I'm overworking myself a bit. I spend three hours per day in class, plus several hours of planned appointments/excursions/tours after that. I study Hebrew every morning for at least an hour. I try to run as often as possible. I've started impromptu German lessons two to three times per week, unfortunately held from 9pm to 12am. Then there's reading and writing for class each day. And on top of all of that, I'm supposed to get out and see Berlin as much as possible!

Doing all of these activities leaves me with little sleep each night, and for better or for worse, coffee just doesn't cut it in the morning. I need something energizing and nutritious to get me through the day. I've never been able to skip breakfast - I eat it even in the most dire of circumstances - but now my breakfast standards have been boosted up a notch. I need whole grains and protein! However, being in Berlin, my breakfasts are also a food experiment. I've tried different kinds of yogurt, berries, muesli, and juice, and I've found that even far away from my standard products, breakfast here is still my favorite meal of the day. There is one breakfast, though, that I can't get here. Hailing from the Andean region of South America, quinoa, the US food industry's latest and greatest new import item, is a unique and deliciously simply grain.

The word quinoa comes from the Peruvian indigenous language Quechua, and in eating the tiny granules, you are actually consuming small seeds of the quinoa bush. Quinoa is similar to couscous, but it had a thin fibrous strand surrounding the kernel. Nutritionally, quinoa beats most of its competitors. It has about 12% protein, but not only that, it in fact provides a complete protein since it contains all 9 essential amino acids. It is a good source of fiber, magnesium, and iron, and it is gluten-free. As an added bonus, it's also kosher for Passover because it wasn't know about when these dietary restrictions were made!

Quinoa can be eaten all sorts of ways: as an accompanying dish with vegetables and some olive oil, in soup, as a pepper or tomato stuffing, or alone. However, as I said earlier, I've been searching for hearty breakfasts, and quinoa fits the bill. Here's an experimental quinoa breakfast I tried. It's the simplest of recipes, but it will keep you going until noon!

Quinoa with Fruit

Ingredients

1 part quinoa

2 parts water

hefty pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp. of sugar per cup of quinoa

handful of dried fruit, chopped

Method

Rinse the quinoa using a fine sieve. This is important because many brands of quinoa currently imported are not thoroughly washed. Then bring the water to boil in a saucepan. Once the water is boiling, add the quinoa, and boil for 2 minutes. Then reduce the water to a simmer, and add the salt and sugar, stirring well. Cook the quinoa until almost soft. This should take about 12 minutes. In the remaining few minutes, add the dried fruit. Then finish cooking. When the quinoa is finished, the strand surrounding the kernel will have detached from the seed itself. The quinoa will also have expanded, similarly to couscous. I like my quinoa with a slight bit of crunch so I generally undercook it by a few minutes. Drain off excess water, and serve the dish immediately.