Quinoa Pudding with Macerated Strawberries and Pistachios

Ok, so I am going through my weekly routine of substituting quinoa for rice in all the recipes I like and I come up with this brilliant idea ... quinoa pudding! A very good friend of the family has this awesome rice pudding recipe and I thought I might try my hand at converting it. Well, I didn't exactly have the recipe for this awesome rice pudding, but I thought I new the secret and I could make my way through it. So, I get on the internet like I normally do and start studying other people's rice pudding recipes and the thought came to me to search for quinoa pudding and see what comes up. I got several hits on Google and I felt a little deflated because my idea wasn't so original after all. So anyway, I am making my way through the results and I hit the Quinoa Pudding Mother Ship! Canelle et Vanille is a blog by Aran Goyoaga who is a pastry chef and photographer. What a great food blog with excellent photos. If you are food lover you have to check it out. I immediately switched gears and started adapting Aran's recipe for the stuff I have around the house.

Quinoa Pudding with Macerated Strawberries and Pistachios

2 1/2 c regular milk

1 c vanilla coffee creamer

1 c quinoa (uncooked)

1 tbsp vanilla

1/4 c sugar

1 tbsp sugar

1 pinch of salt

1/2 c sliced strawberries
1/4 c chopped pistachios

Get the sliced strawberries going in a bowl with the tbsp of sugar on top and let it sit while everything else comes together. Rinse the quinoa good. I do this like sushi rice and put the quinoa in the pot I am going to cook it in and just run lots of water on it to get the bitter dust off the grains. Drain the quinoa as best you can. Combine the quinoa, milk, creamer, vanilla, 1/4 c sugar and salt in a pot. Mix well and bring to a boil while stirring often. Immediately turn the heat down to medium low. Stir every minute or two for about 30 minutes. The mixture will thicken. Serve in an appropriate container topped with strawberries and pistachios. Makes about four servings.

This recipe, done well, will knock your socks off. :-) Enjoy

TTFN

BTR