Quinoa Pudding and a Walk on the Beach

I have talked about my love for arroz con leche many times in this blog. It is one of the desserts I make the most and the one that my friends always request when they come over for dinner. “Arroz con leche with two galletas please”, says our friend G. Galletas Marias that is.

Lately I have been experimenting with different grains, mainly because of health reasons. Each one of my pregnancies has taken a bit of a toll on my body and I believe nourishment and food is one of the main ways to bring it back to balance. So a couple of weeks ago, I decided to make a different version of my favorite dessert by incorporating quinoa into it.

The weather has been gorgeous and last Friday, after we dropped J. off at school, we went down to the Juno Beach pier for an early morning walk. It was windy, the sea was rough and it was a pleasure to watch the surfers ride the waves. We even spotted a swimmer in that crazy ocean and there was even a “danger: sharks” note on the blackboard.

M. loves falling asleep in her front carrier while she watches everything around her.

We skipped breakfast that morning so we could have a small picnic at the beach. I made a small batch of quinoa pudding the night before, packed some strawberries and some pistachio and millet tea cakes that I had put away in the freezer. No walk on the beach is complete without snacks right? The wind was too harsh and it spoiled our picnic plan a bit. Instead we ended up sitting at the tables in the parking lot… but we enjoyed it anyway.

Quinoa Pudding with Macerated Strawberries and Pistachios

I like mine a little bit more liquid. If you like a drier version, omit the heavy cream

makes about 4 8 oz servings

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup quinoa

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 Tbs sugar

chopped pistachios

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse it with cold water for a few seconds.

Combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the quinoa and stir. Reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot slightly, and cook for about 30 minutes stirring every few minutes. If skin starts to form on top of the milk, just stir it back in. The milk will reduce and thicken. Ladle into bowls or jars.

Place cut strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle them with sugar. Toss them and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour until juices start to come out.

Top the puddings with the strawberries and chopped pistachios.