If you follow my Instagram @FussFreeCooking, you’d probably noticed my breakfast options were pretty predictable: eggs, mushrooms,coffee and on occasions pancakes. While there is nothing wrong being a repetitive eater, for the sake of trying something different, I have decided to include quinoa flakes in my breakfast routine.
The quinoa flakes I used are the Macro brand from Woolworths. To make quinoa flakes into porridge, it requires 1 part quinoa flakes to 2 parts water according to the packet instructions which I eventually deviated (as you do *wink*) to 1 part of water and 1 part of milk for a creamier texture and (not to mention) tastier outcome. Since quinoa porridge does not require as much cooking time as the rolled oats variety, the former is less likely to burn the milk as well.
After the success that I had with the overnight porridge pancakes, I was hoping to make something else with quinoa flakes other than porridge. If you are a fan of quinoa flake porridge, I hope that you will extend your love to these banana and quinoa flake microwave cakes which are gluten and dairy free. This is a clever recipe by Leanne Vogel, the holistic nutritionist and blogger behind Healthful Pursuit which is fast becoming a favourite in the FFC household.
Don’t let the lacklustre exterior fool you because these cakes reminded me of banana bread but they are a healthier, lighter and fluffier version. I also love that they have no added sugar and the natural sweetness from the banana is more than enough to sweeten the cakes. Especially, for a person who has the compulsion to drizzle maple syrup over anything that works, I feel less guilty about adding a drop of two of the sweet nectar to appease my cheeky habit.
Author: Fuss Free Cooking, recipe tweaked very slightly from www.healthfulpursuit.com
Ingredients
- Flavourless cooking oil (I used canola oil)
- 3 tbsps mashed banana (requires about a small banana)
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 cup quinoa flakes (Macro brand from Woolworths)
- 1 tbsp goji berries
- 4 - 5 pecans, roughly chopped (or break them into smaller pieces by hand)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pour a little oil onto a kitchen towel and wipe the inside of 2 small ramekins for greasing. Set aside.
- In mixing bowl, mash the banana and then add an egg, quinoa flakes, goji berries, pecan and ground cinnamon. Whisk the mixture until well combine using a fork or a small whisk. Divide the mixture equally into the greased ramekin. Place the ramekins on a plate and microwave on HI for 2 minutes.
- Please note that the original recipe specifies cooking the cakes for 2.5 minutes. However be mindful that different microwaves as well as the default microwave settings may vary, hence I suggest you cook the cakes for about 2 minutes. Take the ramekins out and test with a skewer. You know they are ready when the skewer comes out clean. If not, cook the cakes further another couple of seconds. Please be mindful that if you cook the cakes for too long, they will start to splatter.
- Feel free to dress up the cakes with fresh fruits and nuts and them while they are hot!
And guys, I was being featured on MausJournal – a lifestyle website discovering inspiring people and sharing the love of food, culture, art and design based in Malaysia & Australia! You can find my interview with MausJournal here.
Yum! These look delish – and I’m with you, quinoa flakes made with just water are not very appetising at all!
You intrigued me. I, a non-cooker, while surfing for quinoa recipes came upon sight of the 5-minute dish with quinoa flakes of which I’d never heard! So after printing your recipe and mail-ordering for some flakes & am off to the grocery. Do you think you could add the dish’s complete nutritional information? Thanks 🙂
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I will try to see if there is a tool on the web where I can do so.
These are great. So easy and quick! I added dates and walnuts instead of goji and brazil as that was what I had in the cupboard. Yum. Thank you