Quinoa for breakfast (such as this) keeps popping up in my life and it seemed about time to give it a go.  We are huge quinoa fans and regularly have it for lunch and dinner – in casseroles, as a side dish, on top of a salad, etc.   Without enough ingredients to truly follow a recipe, we excitedly ventured into a new experiment!

Sunday is typically the day that we go grocery shopping, and we used this meal to clean out all of the leftover fresh veggies from the previous week.  A handful of spinach, half of a jalapeno, a few brussels sprouts, etc.   Bacon also seemed like a necessity, as it was snowing outside and we wanted to add a layer of comfort food for this cozy winter brunch.  

In the end, it was a huge success! The result was a warm, hearty meal that kept us full for the morning – including throughout the grocery store. Essential.  Next time, I’ll  adapt the seasoning a bit, as the cajun salt was slightly off.  The Flavor Bible gave me some great ideas which are noted below.  But overall, this is the perfect way to use up veggies and start the day on a delicious note.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of quinoa (we cooked 1 cup of dry and then had leftovers for the week)
• 8 oz of bacon – cut into lardons
• 1 red onion – chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno – diced
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• About 10 brussel sprouts – shaved
• A large handful of fresh spinach 
• Cajun season salt 
• 3 Tablespoons of feta cheese
• 4 eggs

Steps & Notes:

1. Cook the quinoa.
   • We prefer a drier final product so we use the ratio of 1 cup of dry quinoa cooked in 1 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then down to a simmer. Cover and cook ‘until done.’ This takes about 10-15 minutes.
2. Cook the bacon in a large pan. Then remove and place on a paper towel. Drain the fat and wipe once with a paper towel.
3. Saute the onion and jalapeno in the same pan, adding the stock in slow batches until absorbed.
   • This was an experiment, but I wanted the onions to stay juicy and it worked! I did have some stock leftover, and the pan was dry.
4. Add the spinach and brussels sprouts and saute for 3-5 minutes.  Then, add spices and mix well until all are fully combined.
   • I used cajun seasoning salt which was OK. I’ll try some new flavors next time.
5. In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, 1/2 of the bacon, and a large scoop of quinoa.
   • We used about 1 cup of cooked quinoa
6. Fry up some eggs – we made ‘em nice and runny.
7. Then put your bowl together and enjoy!

Thoughts for Next Time:

• Incorporate any other veggies on hand: tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, swiss chard, kale, diced broccoli or cauliflower
• Make a mexican style bowl with black beans, sausage, chili and an avocado on top
• Make a lemon-thyme sauce
• Mushroom, asparagus, and zucchini combination topped with fresh herbs
• Play around with spices.. perhaps cumin, cracked red pepper, oregano, curry
• Use different cheeses such as gruyere, creme fraiche, mozzarella or fontina