Let’s kick off i Heart Quinoa week with a strawberry, thyme and quinoa smoothie.
I eat tons of veggies, but I am not as good as eating fruit so smoothies are a great and delicious way to get the added nutrition of fruit into your diet. By why add quinoa? Well, it’s affordable, easy to make and store and is chock full of protein, magnesium, vitamin B6 and iron. We will learn more about quinoa this week, but lets start with with this easy yummy smoothie, shall we.
This is not a super sweet smoothie, but very filling and earthy with the quinoa and thyme. Add any liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or agave to taste if you don’t have simple syrup on hand.
Ingredients: 2-1 cup servings
3/4 cup vegan milk ( almond, coconut, soy)
1/4 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
2 Tablespoons thyme infused simple syrup *optional, recipe below
Method:
place all ingredients into blender and blend well for 60-80 seconds. garnish and serve immediately.
Simple syrup is frequently used in mixed drinks and is basically equal parts sugar and water warmed on the stove. To infuse it with thyme, simply add thyme sprigs to the sugar and water mixture after the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the thyme and use the simple syrup in smoothies, tea or cocktails.
Tomorrow, I’ll share one of my favorite quinoa salads with you along with some quinoa cooking tips.