Green Eggs + Quinoa Porridge

Heart-Attack In A Skillet AKA "The Kitchen Sink", and Quinoa Porridge

@ Green Eggs Cafe

Drove up to Philly the other day to have brunch @ Green Eggs Cafe {1306 Dickinson Street, Philadelphia, PA}. It was goddamn delicious!! Homemade, amazing ingredients...and cooked with love. My friend, who was hungover, had "The Kitchen Sink" : Two eggs scrambled with cheese, our signature potato, peppers, and onions, topped with homemade jumbo biscuit and country sausage gravy in a cast

iron skillet , and I had the Quinoa Porridge : Agave nectar, cinnamon, cardamom, golden. raisins, cream, and

fresh berries. Everything was perfect. The restaurant is cute to boot, the service was great, and the presentation of the dishes were delightful. I love the idea of porridge, but the consistency of it always throws me off and makes me feel like I'm a senior-citizen who wears dentures. Ew. I loved the earthy texture of the Quinoa amoungst the cream. I loved how the tartness of the fresh berries cut the sweetness of the agave, and my tastebuds danced around to the presence of cardamom + golden raisins {two of my favorite ingredients in Indian cuisine}. I love love loved Green Eggs, and I look forward to a return trip.

I googled quinoa porridge recipes and found one...check it out, try it out, and enjoy!

Benefits of Quinoa:

It is gluten-free, high in calcium, iron, lysine, vitamin E and several B vitamins while also being low in fat and sodium. Not to mention, it is considered by some to be the perfect protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. Other grains can't even boast half of the protein of quinoa! Just four ounces (about 1/2 cup) per day provides a child with all their needed protein intake for one day.

Quinoa tastes great hot or cold. Cooked quinoa is excellent in soups, stews, salads, stir fries or casseroles. This impressive seed brings great texture and a nutty, delicate flavor to any dish. The good news for busy home cooks is that quinoa cooks very quickly, usually in 15 minutes or less, and can be infused with flavor as it cooks just like rice or couscous. Try cooking your quinoa in fruit juice or your favorite stock when serving as a side dish or dry roasting the seeds in the oven when throwing into a cold salad.

Quinoa Porridge

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk (skim or soy preferred)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
Dash of sea salt
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp plain or vanilla yogurt
2 tsp agave nectar plus more to taste
Chopped fruit and nuts if desired

*Serves one hungry person or two people if you add toast and fruit.

Combine quinoa, water, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cardamom, salt and 1/4 cup of the milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, cinnamon, cardamom and the raisins and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes or until it reaches a thick consistency. Add agave nectar and yogurt; stir to combine. Serve in a bowl or mug with some sliced or whole berries and an extra drizzle of agave nectar on top.

{http://www.examiner.com/cooking-in-philadelphia/keen-for-quinoa-porridge}