GOOD FOOD // CAMP GRUB 011 // COCONUT QUINOA PORRIDGE 

This hearty breakfast bowl boasts a high rank on the nutrition ladder and it suuure is pretty! Again with the tongue twisters- but hey can you blame us? We've just got such an abundance of energy due to this fantastic and delicious camp-friendly breakfast. 

A big thanks to our friend Christina Fast for her take on one of our favourite healthful recipes, originally by Gena Hamshaw over on Food 52

THE GOODS:

THE PREP:

1) Toast the slivered almonds until they're nice and golden over the fire in a cast iron if you've got one, otherwise a regular pan will do. Just keep an eye on them and stir occasionally as they have a tendency to roast quickly over high heat. Once they're ready remove them from the hot pan and set aside to cool while you prep the rest of the goods.

2) Give the quinoa a quick rinse (makes it taste better!) before combining in a small-medium sized pot with 3/4 of a cup of the coconut milk (set the other half aside for now), add in the water, maple syrup, sea salt, Camp Apple Pie Spice and/ or cinnamon stick.

3) Stir all ingredients together and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce your heat to a simmer. Once all of the liquid is absorbed and simmered away, it's ready to go (about 15-20 minutes). Depending on how cinnamony you like it, remove the cinnamon stick either half way through, or leave it in 'till the very end (we like it spicy so left ours in!) Give the quinoa a bit of a 'fluff' with a fork before divvying it up into bowls. 

4) Now for the toppings, aka the best part. Pour the remainder of the coconut milk that you've set aside equally over the top of each bowl of quinoa (hot tip: try to do this while the quinoa is still really warm so that it absorbs nicely rather than settling on top), add your berries, toasted almond slivers, pomegranate seeds if you've got 'em, and voila! There you have it. One delicious breakfast ready to get. in. your. belly. 

*Optional: If you decide to cook up your berries rather than using them fresh, like Christina did here, get a small separate pot going while the quinoa is cooking. The berry mixture is super simple- just add your cup of berries to the pot over low-med heat and stir/ crush them up a bit. Once things start looking a bit juicy throw in the tsp of cane sugar and stir until the mixture becomes fluid and a bit lumpy (you're aiming for a thick and gloopy jam-like consistency here). 

** Bonus: That delicious looking cream in the photos is some real slick homemade Maple Butter (dairy-free!) that Christina made to top her bowls with. It's a bit tricky to make, but golly it's good! If you're feeling ambitious, here are the steps to make your own. Otherwise, the basic maple syrup in the recipe is just as tasty, and just so Canadian.