By Judi Gallagher.
Let’s be honest. When I think of comfort foods, I don’t think of whole-grain pasta. I think of lobster, macaroni and cheese, puffed-up doughnuts, matzoh ball soup, noodle pudding. But with a plethora of healthy restaurants popping up all over town (see: Veg in Sarasota), the resurgence of farmers’ markets all across the country, and the popularity of healthy cooking blogs like Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks, comfort food is taking on a new meaning.
The down economy has, I think, forced people to turn their eyes inward—to their own kitchens. And while a heaping dish of Ina Garten’s macaroni and cheese is good every once in awhile, it’s not the most healthy thing to serve every night. (Cardiologist appointment for one, please!) Hence the emergence of “good” comfort food—fare that you can feel good about eating and that doesn’t sacrifice flavor.
A good example of this kind of trend is a quinoa berry breakfast bowl. Colorful and flavorful, crunchy and filling, this is a perfect healthy, go-to breakfast dish that will make you forget about stacks of pancakes and sides of bacon. Well, almost.
Quinoa Berry Breakfast Bowl
Adapted from Dr. John LaPuma’s Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine
1 cup soy milk
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa
2 cups fresh berries
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Agave nectar, to taste (alternatively: brown sugar, to taste)
Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in berries and cinnamon; transfer to four bowls and top with pecans. Drizzle agave nectar over each serving or stir in brown sugar.