Fun fact: I used to hate quinoa. The texture was just too weird. I think I was eating it wrong or something because now I willingly eat it every day. You can even eat it for breakfast, how crazy is that?? This flavor combo comes from a smoothie I drank in Thailand. I drank a lot of smoothies in Thailand. A lot as in multiple a day. It was pretty fantastic. So I saw this smoothie with banana, pineapple, and mint. I thought to myself, well, isn’t that interesting! Since I was on vacation and throwing caution to the wind, I took a daring chance and went for it. My boldness paid off, the smoothie was delicious. And now I’m back to share it with you (in quinoa form!)
By the way, the sesame brittle is awesome on its own, so feel free to make a little extra of that for snacking.
This tropical quinoa bowl is part of the Top 10 Foods for Runners series. Specifically, week 9: Bananas. Check out the full post here.
Tropical quinoa bowl
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Quinoa, uncooked
- 11/2 cup coconut milk, divided
- 1 banana, sliced
- 1 tsp fresh mint, minced
- 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup black sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup almonds, chopped
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
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Combine 1 cup coconut milk with the quinoa in a medium saucepan and cook according to quinoa package directions.
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Meanwhile, bring a skillet to medium-low heat and add almonds, stirring until fragrant. Add sesame seeds and honey. continue to stir until honey completely coats mixture, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and spread out on a baking sheet/cutting board to cool.
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Heat coconut oil in the pan and add pineapple chunks. Once golden brown on one side, flip chunks to another side and cook until caramelized. Remove from heat and roughly chop into bite-size pieces.
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Bring the skillet to a low heat and add coconut. Stir until the coconut turns golden. Remove from heat.
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Break up sesame mixture. Microwave the remaining 1/2 cup coconut milk for 30 seconds. Divide quinoa between two bowls and pour milk on top.
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Top each bowl with pineapple, banana, mint, sesame almond brittle, and coconut. Serve warm.
