Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

Today's recipe comes from Skinnytaste.com.  I modified this recipe from the website for just one person, me.  My husband is not a breakfast person and I didn't want to end up with four servings.  Overall, the recipe came out pretty great, and you can add more flavor to it if you'd like, such as almond butter.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract)
• 2 tablespoons apple sauce (and 1 tablespoon almond butter)

Add water, quinoa, cinnamon and extract to a small pot, and wait for water to bowl.  Low heat and keep lid on until all the water has evaporated, usually 10 to 15 minutes.

Put the quinoa in a bowl and add the applesauce and stir.  Enjoy!

Kidney-Quinoa Burgers

I know these were probably meant to be eaten the vegan way, but I added some turkey bacon since I hadn't eaten any meat all day. 

This recipe comes from Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon.  This was probably the first vegan cookbook I ever got and I was surprised how easy all the recipes were.  Sure there were some ingredients I've never heard of, but they weren't difficult to find.  I had never heard of things like tempeh or turmeric only because while I was growing up my parents never used these ingredients.  I love discovering new food, recipes, and spices, so when I came across this recipe, I had to try it.  The burgers turned out to be very tasty with or without the turkey bacon.  ;-)

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon onion powder (granulated)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (granulated)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

In a small saucepan, combine quinoa with 1/2 cup of water, cover and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low and continue to cook until fluffy and all water has evaporated, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash beans with a fork in a mixing bowl until the consistency of refried beans.  Add remaining ingredients in order, plus cooked quinoa, and stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet.  Break mixture into 6 equal segments.  Roll each into a ball, flatten it, and shape it into a patty using your hands.

Bake for 8 minutes, flip, and bake for 8 more minutes, then flip again for 5 minutes, but only if necessary.  When the burgers are brown and crisp on the outside, they are done.

Enjoy!