The first time I cooked with quinoa I was shocked that something so tiny, with the consistency of sand and the tendency to find its way into every nook and cranny of the kitchen could be so tasty. Its an interesting little grain well suited in both sweet and savory dishes. For people cutting back on carbs its also a great whole grain substitute for in recipes that call for things like white rice or couscous. And Id be lying if I didnt mention that half the reason Ive been so keen in it lately is that its really fun to say.

Quinoa has also helped me solve one of my biggest complaints on this diet: boring breakfast. I can only do the whole grain cereal or whole grain bread with low fat yogurt and fruit so many times before Im tempted to trade meals with the dog. Enter quinoa oatmeal. Fulling and versatile. I make a big batch at the beginning of the week and eat off it whenever Im in the mood. Its good hot or cold. Sweetened with fruit and agave nectar or salty and crunchy with cashews.

Technically this recipe only works for the maintenance stage of the diet but it would be just as good without the dried fruit, perhaps adding in some other spices to give it a kick instead. Ive also started making it with half milk and half water for the liquids as the full milk makes it a little too porridge like for me in the summer. You can do whatever you want to the quinoa to make it suit your tastes but youll want a little sweetness and some flavor added in or it can be a bit too bitter.

Quinoa Oatmeal

1 cup quinoa
2 cups milk

1/3 cup dried fruit
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon agave nectar

Place quinoa in a sieve and rinse well under cold water. Tip the quinoa into a saucepan and add the milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Add fruit and cinnamon then simmer for 8-10 or until all liquid is absorbed.

Stir in agave nectar. Serve topped with fruit or cashews and milk.

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No I didnt burn dinner. That is actually a very poor quality picture of delicious food that was taken very hastily because I couldnt wait to eat it. I kind have an obsession with all things purple so I was a little more excited than usual to eat dinner. The savory and sweet combo also added to the drool factor.

So far the fella and I have loved everything that has come out of the Silver Spoon Cookbook and this was no exception. It was easy and low maintenance, whats not to love? The problem we have found is that most of the recipes in this book do seem to need a little tweaking so I shouldnt have been so surprised when this one gave me a bit of trouble as well.

I think the problem started with using frozen blueberries. There was no other choice seeing as I dont have a sugar daddy and blue berries are $4 a pint at the moment. Things ultimately worked out on the very tasty side but if you use frozen berries I would suggest extra time to reduce the liquid before and after putting the pork chops in the oven.

Other than spending a lot of time boiling off extra moisture before we could eat, this was amazing. The pork was fall apart tender and the berries gave it a nice sweetness. And of course eating the deep purple meat was a real treat. It went really nicely when a spinach salad topped with tart blue cheese from a local dairy.

Blueberry Pork Chops

4 spare-rib pork chops (I used whatever cut was on sale at Whole Foods)
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons oil (I left this out as the butter and pork fat created enough grease)
3/4 cup red wine (1/2 cup if using frozen berries)
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup honey (I used a bit less than 1/4 cup agave nectar which was almost too sweet)


Preheat oven to 400.

Heat butter and oil in small flameproof casserole dish or oven safe pan. Add the pork chops and cook until browned on all sides. Pour in the wine and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Season with salt to taste.

Put the blueberries through the food processor until well chopped then stir in the honey (or agave nectar). Spread this mixture over the pork chops. Put a lid on the casserole dish and place in oven for 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes then serve.

My sauce never thickened so at this point I set aside the pork and put the sauce on a medium simmer uncovered until it thickened to a gravy consistency and spooned it onto the meat.

Original Recipe from The Silver Spoon Cookbook.

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