Berry Delicious Quinoa Breakfast

I LOVE this breakfast.  I make it almost every other morning in fresh berry season.  It's filling, delicious, and sweet.  Oh, and it's also quite healthy.  In fact the recipe comes from this interesting book ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine by John La Puma M.D.

I vary ever so slightly from Dr. La Puma's original recipe, so I'll outline the 7 point breakfast and the 8 point breakfast.

Berry Delicious Quinoa Breakfast  (7 PointsPlus)
Ingredients:
1 cup rinsed quinoa
1 cup skim milk
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons agave nectar (honey may be used as a substitute, see recipe below)

Steps:

1. Combine quinoa, milk, and water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
2. Add the cinnamon, agave, and the berries.

Seriously, what could be easier than this?!

Serving Size and PointsPlus Value:

This makes 4 servings.  Each serving is worth 7 PointsPlus.

Here's the 8 point version:

Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast  (8 PointsPlus)

Ingredients:

1 cup rinsed quinoa

1 cup 1% milk

1 cup water

1 cup fresh blackberries

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 oz chopped, toasted pecans (about 16 pecans if you don't have a scale)

4 teaspoons honey

Steps:

1. Combine quinoa, milk, and water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a dry frying pan or in the toaster for 3 - 5 minutes.  Toss them frequently to avoid burning.  Allow to cool slightly, then coarsely chop.
3. Add the cinnamon, honey, pecans, and berries.

Serving Size and PointsPlus Value:

This makes 4 servings.  Each serving is worth 8 PointsPlus.