I grew up in New Hampshire and my mother was always very frustrated with me in the winter because I absolutely refused to eat any type of hot cereal. I remember distinctly back in the 1950s and 1960s that Maypo was the go to hot cereal along, of course, with oatmeal. Not for me! I hated hot cereal, it was always so slimy in my mouth. Probably the way my mother cooked it. My mother would be so upset with me now to see how much hot cereal I eat during the winter. This is one of my favorites. I used to buy expensive quinoa and rice cereal already premade, just add the liquid and cook it. Now I make my own; so easy and it can be done with the new overnight refrigerator technique. I give you the stovetop version here. Makes two servings.
In a medium saucepot:
- 1/2 cup white quinoa
- 1 small pear diced
- 8-10 blackberries or raspberries (blackberries don’t break up as much as raspberries so I usually use those and its fine to take them out of the freezer and add them into the pot frozen)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- dash or two of salt
In a blender, blend until mainly smooth:
- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 cup cold water
Add this to the pot, cover and cook over low heat, stirring frequently. This will thicken quickly because of the fruit so be sure to stir often. Keeping it covered insures that the quinoa cooks. When the quinoa looses its white sheen, its cooked. If its too wet, cook uncovered for a few more minutes.
Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup if the fruit hasn’t gotten it sweet enough. You can also feel free to add a tablespoon of ground flax, some chia seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, etc. Or substitute an apple for the pear.
To use the overnight refrigerator technique, put all the ingredients into a large mason jar, shake to mix (or stir), and refrigerate overnight. Heat up in the morning and enjoy.
cookingwithoutallergens 