Mango and Pomegranate Breakfast Quinoa Recipe
This Breakfast Quinoa Recipe is an excellent way to start the day with warm, whole grain and fruit nutrient dense bowl of goodness. It will help you feel satisfied as well as make you avoid sugar and caffeine cravings throughout the day. During winter months we have a tendency towards warm and comforting type of breakfasts over cooling properties of smoothies and juices. This is a natural way our bodies are telling us they need to warm up during the cold season to feel happy. Porridge seems to be a number one option for many and there are countless variations of it but if you feel you need a change this Mango and Pomegranate variation of the Breakfast Quinoa Recipe is something you were looking for.
Important thing to keep in mind is that all grains, seeds, nuts contain an enzyme inhibitor called phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorous is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron especially zinc in the intestinal track and block their absorption and can also cause poor digestion and an unhealthy gut. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. Soaking allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid and will vastly improve their nutritional benefits.
Quinoa was known by the Incas as ‘the Mother Grain’. It is no wonder, as it is packed with nutrients. The nutritional quality of quinoa has been compared to that of dried whole milk by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. It is considered a complete protein as it contains all eight of the essential amino acids that are required by the human body to aid digestion. It also has a high content of unsaturated fats to provide sustenance and has fewer carbs than most grains so it won’t weigh us down. Yet another benefit is that quinoa is a gluten free grain or I should say ‘pseudocereal’. In fact, it is not a true cereal as it is not a member of the grass family (Poceae). Rather it grows as a plant that resembles spinach with clusters of small seeds on the stems. When hulled and dried, these seeds are what we know of as quinoa. Furthermore, it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. It is also a source of calcium, and thus is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant.
Quinoa grows in a rainbow of colours, but the most commonly available are red, black and white.
Taste and nutrition are similar among the colours. White one tends to cook up fluffier, while red and black varieties have a crunchier texture and the grains don’t stick together as much. In Ayurveda quinoa is considered to be balancing to all body-mind types, but is particularly good for the Vata types that benefit from easily digestible proteins.
Mango and Pomegranate Breakfast Quinoa Recipe
For this recipe I decided to dress up quinoa with red mango and pomegranate. Both fruits are packed with vitamins C & A which we run low on during the winter months and which are crucial to fight flu or cold symptoms that we often encounter around that time.
- A single cup of sliced, raw mango provides 89 micrograms of vitamin A. This amount fulfils about 13 percent of the daily requirement.
- Vitamin A benefits the body by promoting the health of the skin, immune system and eyes and by supporting cell differentiation and reproduction.
- It contains 60 milligrams of vitamin C per cup of slices, which supplies 80 percent of a woman’s daily vitamin C needs and 66 of a man’s.
- Vitamin C is vital for maintaining the health of the bones, skin and blood vessels.
- Consuming plenty of vitamin C-rich foods like mangoes may decrease your risk of cancer, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and heart disease.
- And finally the tartaric acid, malic acid, and a trace of citric acid found it the fruit help to maintain the alkalizes the whole body.
Speaking of pomegranate, it is a one of the best choices of winter nutritious fruits, its flavour and qualities makes it different to taste and it has some medicinal properties too.
- One pomegranate contains approximately 50 percent of your daily recommended vitamin C, as well as pantothenic acid (B5), which may help with muscle cramping and prevent insulin resistance.
- It shows anti-inflammatory properties.
- Pomegranates and their edible seeds are native to Iran and Iraq, its seeds (the pulp of pomegranates isn’t edible) are high in antioxidants.
- Since pomegranates are in season in Northern hemisphere from September to February it is a great choice to dress up your winter breakfast in!
- The seeds and juice are considered a tonic for the heart and throat, and classified as having bitter-astringent taste plus a range of taste from sweet to sour, depending on ripeness. Thus in Ayurveda pomegranate is considered a healthful counterbalance to a diet high in sweet-fatty components (constitution of Kapha or earth).
Mango and Pomegranate Breakfast Quinoa Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup of red quinoa (depending on your preferences you can also use black or white one)
1 rippen mango
1 rippen pomegranate
pinch of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of coconut oil (optional)
Method
Combine 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water and sprinkle of cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
When cooking is complete, you will notice that the grains have become semi translucent, and the white germ has partially detached itself, appearing like a white-spiraled tail. If you desire the quinoa to have a nuttier flavour, you can dry roast it before cooking; to dry roast, place it in a skillet over medium-low heat and stir constantly for five minutes.
I like using cinnamon when cooking in winter time as it has warming and anti-inflammatory properties plus .
Next step is to peel and dice the mango. To do this without creating unnecessary mess half the fruit first then cut it to form chessboard pattern and finally flip the skin inside out. To crack open pomegranate, cut it into halves and flip the skin inside out.
Finally top up quinoa with mango and pomegranate. Serve with a smile!
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