Chocolate Espresso Quinoa Pudding

HEALTHY, DELICIOUS, CHOCOLATE AND DIFFERENT...

just the kind of breakfast treat i'm looking for.  topped with some vanilla greek yogurt, a few fresh cherries and you have a healthy fun dessert for breakfast.  make on a sunday morning and enjoy the rest throughout the week for a quick, fun, guilt-free breakfast treat.

my mother always says, "try the recipe as written, then you can put your spin on it..."

well, i wasn't listening in this case...
i had a problem.

i was lucky.  i knew how to fix it.

needless to say...i ran in to a few minor complications, explained below, but i really like the idea of quinoa because it's full of fiber, it's a complete protein and a little out of the ordinary for breakfast let alone a chocolate breakfast.

i always like to add a touch of espresso when using chocolate in any form and try to add a little protein powder to any of my breakfast treats.  these are, of course, optional.

as far as sweeteners go?  i like Zsweet and Stevia "cup for cup", but real sugar will work just fine.

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO QUINOA PUDDING

adapted from Alyssa Rimmer "The Queen of Quinoa"

1 cup quinoa

3 cups chocolate almond milk, unsweetened

1/4 cup maple syrup, i used sugar free

3-4 Tbsp good unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp chia seeds, optional

1 scoop chocolate protein powder, optional (check for gluten if need)

3/4 tsp espresso powder

1/4 cup Stevia "cup for cup" sweetener...more or less to taste

or sweetener of choice...to taste

Alyssa's instructions...

add quinoa, milk, espresso powder, sweetener of choice, protein powder and maple syrup to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  reduce to a simmer and stir in cocoa powder.  cover with lid 3/4 of the way, stirring frequently for about 30 minutes, until the water has almost entirely been absorbed.  remove from the heat, stir in chia seeds, if using and serve.

what i did...

i followed the instructions, but my quinoa wasn't cooked all the way...maybe because i added protein powder ?  so... i added a little more than 1/2 cup almond milk, and cooked it the rest of the way in a bain marie (water bath) in the oven like a custard.  approx. another 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  i covered the baking dish with aluminum foil, not the whole bain marie, just the pudding.

after going the extra mile... i had fully cooked quinoa pudding...

in conclusion...please refer to the original recipe if you are not sure about it.  i'm not so sure the quinoa would have cooked all the way with or without the protein powder, but Alyssa IS "The Quinoa Queen" so  i would trust her recipe and instructions in her post.

nutrition facts (approx.)

according to my recipe with 8 servings

calories...135, protein...7, carbs...18, fat...3.8, fiber...3