Quinoa Flake Bake

If you're unfamiliar with Quinoa, it's a grain native to South America.  The big benefit to eating quinoa is that it's the only grain that is a complete protein, meaning it includes all nine essential amino acids (essential amino acids are amino acids our body cannot produce themselves so we must get them through out diet).  This has made it a staple in a lot of vegan diets.

One of the amino acids that quinoa has in abundance is lysine, which is essential for tissue repair and growth.  That makes it good for triathletes constantly trying to recover from big workouts.  I saw some claims that lysine helps athletic performance but couldn't find a real study to back that up.  But it does aid in tissue repair and growth, and that aids recovery which aids athletic performance so I suppose you could argue in a roundabout way lysine aids in athletic performance.

I like quinoa, but it's a little dry and flavorless.  That sounds bad, but it's not really.  Chances are you won't dislike quinoa, but you'll probably feel like it needs a little something for flavor.  So when I make quinoa I typically add cinnamon and dried fruit to it - cherries typically.  I've read that a lot of people mix eggs in with quinoa, so I think I'm going to try that.


In my searches to find ways to make quinoa a little more flavorful, I found this recipe for Quinoa Flake Bake (using Quinoa Flakes).  


It's quick, simple and tastes great.

 

Quinoa Flakes, Chia Seeds, Cinnamon, Applesauce and Raisins.  That's all you need.

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1/2 cup quinoa flakes
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar [optional - it's great without it!]
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• handful of raisins
• handful of coconut [optional]

 

All you do is combine everything in a bowl.  I was making two flake bakes - one for me, one for Courtney - so I doubled up on the ingredients.

Mix everything together and then put it in a small dish.  I used a 16 oz CorningWare container that I coated with coconut oil.

 

Ready to cook.

Then you put it in the microwave for about 4 minutes.  Since I was doing two, I did 5 minutes and they turned out fine.  I might play around with the time a bit to see how that affects it.  You know it's done when the top hardens a bit and the sides pull away from the dish.

 

Finished product.

I then took the flake bakes out of the dish and onto a plate.  I topped it with a few more raisins and some real maple syrup.

 

Aunt Jamima has nothing on this syrup, but it's really high in calories so I use it very sparingly...and it's really expensive.  If I remember right this bottle was about $15 at Whole Foods.

 Each flake bake is about 350 calories, and since I need more than that for breakfast I made some scrambled eggs with rosemary, basil and a little goat cheese.

 

A healthy way to start the day.  

The flake bake was really good, and I'll definitely make it more often.  I usually eat breakfast before going to work, but Courtney eats breakfast at work (she doesn't like to eat right away after waking up).  So I think this flake bake is going to work out.  I can make a double batch and cook mine right away and put a cover on hers and she can take it to work and nuke it when she's ready to eat it.  

I love the quick, easy, healthy recipes.  I like to eat healthy and do enjoy cooking, but it's hard to find the time to make healthy meals sometimes so it's nice to have quick, easy meals like this to whip up when you don't have tons of time to cook.