With summer almost here there has been a near constant supply of berries in the stores and this week blueberries were on sale so I picked up a bunch of them. After polishing off a significant amount of them just by snacking on them plain I decided that it was time to do something with them and I knew exactly what that was, a breakfast quinoa parfait. I am a big fan of quinoa and I am always looking for new and interesting ways to use it and the idea for the breakfast quinoa parfait has been on the back of my mind all winter just waiting for the fresh summer berries to show up. The basic idea for the quinoa parfait was to layer quinoa with yogurt and berries and after that you could add pretty much anything else that you like. Since I was using blueberries this time I decided to pair them with some toasted pecans and to use vanilla yogurt though I was also contemplating on going with plain yogurt and then topping the whole thing off with maple syrup.
The soft and tender quinoa worked surprisingly well in the breakfast parfait with the creamy yogurt and the juicy blueberries! One of the good things about making this for breakfast is that you can cook a big batch of the quinoa on the first day and then just pull it out of the fridge and whip up the parfait in a few minutes for the next few days. I am definitely looking forward to making more of these this summer!
Blueberry Quinoa Parfait
Quinoa used in a breakfast parfait layered with vanilla yogurt, fresh blueberries and toasted pecans.
ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups vanilla yogurt
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsly chopped
directions
- Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan, reduce the heat and simmer covered until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Chill the quinoa in the fridge.
- Assemble the parfait by layering the quinoa, yogut, blueberries and pecans.
I'm sure it has been said before, but if you ever fancy getting out of that closet, you can come and cook for me! Delicious!
I love this idea!!
This looks great Kevin!
Love this parfait!
love quinoa! i've never tried it in a sweet before, i bet it's awesome.
This is such an awesome idea! Yum!
I just recently discovered quinoa and this recipe sounds scrumptious.
Delicious!!!
Fresh fruit and I have become very close these past few weeks…I just can't stop eating it! Great idea to use it in a breakfast parfait!
Very creative. I tend to use quinoa in salads or savory dishes. Never tried it in a sweet dish. Will definitely have to try!
hells yes! We just made a version of this on our blog, thanks for inspiring us! http://sketch-freeveganeating.blogspot.ca/2012/06/blackberry-quinoa-parfait-w-almond.html
I just cooked a pan of quinoa, this is going to be my lunch today. Thanks for so many fantastic recipes!
Thanks Kevin, love this recipe, will definitively share it!!!
This is great. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
I have never tried quinoa! I must get it tomorrow and try your recipe- it looks absolutely amazing:) Very curious how it tastes:)
This is a great idea!! I have been a vegetarian for about 10 years but for whatever reason I never explored my food options much beyond processed soy products and I am looking to cut down on the processed junk. I am new to the wonderful world of quinoa but I LOVE IT! I will have to give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing the idea!!
Oh this looks so delicious! I would love this for breakfast or as a dessert! Yum!
The parfait looks great.
Interesting post
Did you really mean 2 servings with this recipe! It is almost 700 calories. I changed it to 4 servings and am satisfied.
Never done the breakfast quinoa but I really should! I'm not a huge hot oatmeal fan so this sounds perfect. Can I assemble the night before?
On Fridays, I share my favorite food finds in a series called Food Fetish Friday – and I love this post so I'm featuring it as part of the roundup (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and I look forward to seeing what you create next…
Love blueberries.
This never would have occurred to me in a million years, so thank you for broadening my horizons! It looks delicious!
No posts in a week? What's going on over there, Kevin? Everything okay?
This looks fabulous; I love quinoa…such a great recipe, Kevin. Hope you are well. I really enjoyed meeting you at the Dole Summit and at BlogHer Food the past two months. Have a great summer and hope to see you again soon!
thanks alot very much realy thank you
I do use quinoa for breakfast and cook them with dates, but your parfait is so very pleasing beautiful. Brilliant idea!
This looks like a fresh and delicious summery treat! I love how healthy it is too! Blessings, Catherine
Where's KEVIN?
man that looks insanely good
Haven't stopped by your blog in a little while, and you've been busy – so many new recipes featured! This quinoa parfait sounds pretty perfect as a healthy brunch option!
I'm always looking for ways to use quinoa, and this looks wonderful. …Susan
That looks delicious! In fact, I have some leftover red quinoa in my fridge. I think I may just have to try this for breakfast tomorrow morning! 🙂
blueberry quinoea…im lovin it!!!
Enjoying this for breakfasts this week. Brilliant! I never would have thought of using quinoa in breakfast parfaits. Love your blog! Looking forward to following along and making a lot of your recipes. Thank you!
Love parfaits, and quinoa…this one looks great! A must try indeed!
I love your emails Kevin you ROCK!! 🙂
Thank you, Kevin! Your fruit & quinoa parfaits are a new favorite breakfast. I have been putting a cinnamon stick with the water and quinoa so that the grain is cinnamon scented. This is great with every berry I've tried.
Anonymous: Glad you enjoyed it! I also like to add cinnamon to the quinoa while it cooks! What an amazing aroma!
p.s. you can freeze cooked quinoa easily, makes for quick breakfasts like this! When lukewarm after cooking I portion my quinoa out into 1 cup batches and seal in snack sized snack bags and pop into the freezer. Then you can just defrost in the microwave for 1-2 mins or let defrost on the counter for 45-60 mins for any dish 🙂
Anonymous: It is great to know that it freezes well! Mine never seems to last long enough to require freezing but now I can make it even further ahead! 🙂
I find it delicious ! Thank you for posting this recipe
Kevin, I love this recipe..easy to do but so delicious! What a great idea for breakfast…thanks for sharing!