Strawberry Quinoa Porridge

The last couple of weeks I have been experimenting with Quinoa porridge. Unlike rice, I don't think quinoa "just becomes" porridge by cooking it. I think it needs some extra ingredients to become a dish in it's own right and not just feel like you're eating a side dish. This recipe was inspired by a recipe I originally saw on Pinterest, which looks delicious but I haven't tried it yet because it seems more like a dessert. Here's my take on strawberry quinoa.

Strawberry Quinoa Porridge

What you need (one serving)

1/3 cup of quinoa

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1 dollop or small teaspoon of coconut oil (not absolutely 

necessary but gives a fuller taste)

pinch of salt

1/2 small mashed banana

2-4 chopped strawberries (depending on size and 

taste and whether fresh or frozen)

1 tsp brown sugar (and some extra to sprinkle on top)

Put the quinoa, water, milk, coconut oil and salt in a non-stick pan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 15-20minutes under a lid. If needed, add a little more water. When it's done, turn off the heat and mix in the mashed banana. Pour the contents into a bowl and mix in the strawberries and brown sugar. Just before eating, add a sprinkle of brown sugar on top.

The mashed banana and strawberries add sweetness to the porridge, and I've made the porridge both with and without the added sugar. Both work, but some days I just really love that extra bit of sweetness, and brown sugar has such a great taste. When me and my sisters were little we used to add syrup (the kind that would be called molasses in Canada, is it a North American thing?) to all our porridges if our mom would let us, and as much as she'd let us, and I still just love it. Brown sugar has that same particular taste and I love it. Did I say that already?