I woke up with a hankering for something different. I had a rough night--sleep issues--and I wanted to start my day off right. Not in the mood for eggs or oatmeal, what's left?
I scan the pantry.
QUINOA! <-- new to quinoa? Click here.
I've had quinoa for breakfast a few times before.
- Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa
- Warm Quinoa Salad with Pears, Pecans and Raisins
- Breakfast Quinoa with Citrus and Kiwi
I probably eat quinoa for breakfast more than dinner as I haven't completely sold the family on it YET! 😉
Anyway, inspired by my recent dessert-y oatmeal breakfast concoction, I decided to see how quinoa would taste with chocolate The I remember I had mint in my small herb garden.
MMMmmm dark chocolate mint.
One of my favorite combination.
I have to admit I rarely, if ever, cook with fresh mint so this was a fun experiment for me. the result was a tasty chocolate mint texture adventure! I really liked it and have leftovers for tomorrow!
Here's what I did, however I will tell you I will probable add more mint leaves next time or even stir some in raw at the end. You could taste the mint but it could have been a little stronger. If you don't have mint leaves you can always use dried or even an extract.
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa (84g)
- 1 cup water
- About 10 fresh mint leaves.
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened dark chocolate powder
- 1 and ½ tablespoon honey (32g)
Instructions
I decided to loosly chop up the mint and cook it with the quinoa to help flavor it.
Rinse the quinoa and add it to a small pot with 1 cup of water and the chopped mint leaves.
Bring to a boil, cover then lower to a simmer. Cook for about 12-15 minutes until the water is absorbed.
Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder and honey. Garnish with an extra mint leaf!
📖 Recipe
Dark Chocolate Mint Quinoa
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa 84g
- 1 cup water
- About 10 fresh mint leaves.
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened dark chocolate powder
- 1 and ½ tablespoon honey 32g
Instructions
- I decided to loosly chop up the mint and cook it with the quinoa to help flavor it.
- Rinse the quinoa and add it to a small pot with 1 cup of water and the chopped mint leaves.
- Bring to a boil, cover then lower to a simmer. Cook for about 12-15 minutes until the water is absorbed.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder and honey. Garnish with an extra mint leaf!
Yolanda
Hi,
I was wondering if I can use chocolate mint leaf instead of the regular mint and also do have to change any of the ingredients measurements at all?
Thanks 🙂
roni
I'm sorry Yolanda, I don't know what a chocolate mint leaf is. That being said the mint leaves are just used to flavor the dish so you can add your leave and go by taste.
Hope that helps!
Miss Jones
I love quinoa, But having it with chocolate!!! this is really new, I am not fun of chocolate but I guess white chocolate for my boy will obviously make him eat Quinoa! thanks!
Joline
Roni, I have to tell you, this has become my favorite breakfast. I eat it something like 5-6 days a week nearly every week! I also have the citrus quinoa about once a month or so. But, this is by far my favorite of any breakfast food. Heck, sometimes I make it for lunch or dinner too!
Katherina @ Zephyr Runs
This sounds like a delicious take on quinoa, can't wait to try the recipe!
Joline
Hey Roni! Another winner! Thanks. I loved it. I didn't have the right type of fresh mint though 🙁 so I used mint extract. I wasn't sure the equivelency so since I was making a double batch of the quinoa I used 1 TBSP of the extract. at first I thought it was too much, but once it was all said and done, it worked out. I wish I'd had the fresh mint, but alas, perhaps next time. And I don't hink the cocoa I grabbed at the store was dark chocolate, but it was yummy. Thanks for another great meal!
Rachel
Question....how do you rinse your quinoa? My strainers all have holes too large, so I line them with a paper towel to rinse it, but then up loosing a good amount of quinoa (which is expensive!) all over the kitchen or stuck to the towel...or both!!
roni
I use a small strainer like this...
OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Double Rod Strainer
Some still escape but it's not too bad.
Kelli
I'm excited to add a flavor to quinoa other than salt! We'll all be experimenting with chocolate quinoa tomorrow! Thanks!
Wendy @ Cooking Quinoa
Oh, wow! This looks great. What an unusual and delicious sounding way to prepare quinoa! I can't wait to give this one a try! I think my boys would love this for breakfast.
roni
Natalia - The texture... hmmmm.. It's unlike anything I had before. Almost like small soft beads. It takes on the flavor of what you cook it in, just like rice but the pieces are much small.
Does that make sense. Anyone want to help me out?
Christopher E P
Hi There,
Just wanted to drop by and say keep up the great work on your site.
Thanks,
Christopher E P
Jenn@slim-shoppin
I think that sounds great! I love quinoa any time of day!
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh
Hmm...interesting. If I'm feeling adventurous I may give this one a try!
Melissa
Hhhmmm, protein AND antioxidents?! Sounds good to me. Is unsweetened chocolate powder the same as cocoa powder? If not, could you pls. post a link so I can find the right stuff?
Claire @ Claire K Creations
I still haven't made great friends with quinoa yet but chocolate and mint might fix our relationship. I have all of those at home so might have to give it a go for tomorrow's breakfast. Thanks!
Natalia
That sounds real good! 🙂 Thanks for sharing. I have yet to try Quinoa...but I'm warming up to the idea with all these recipes. What is the texture like? Is it chewy?
roni
Melissa - I used the dark cocoa powder... Hershey's Cocoa, Special Dark
Jessica
Ooooh. This looks yummy! Definitely going to have to try this out.