Photo by Angie Baquedano

The holidays are upon us, and everyone knows what that means—food, food and more food. What is more glorious than food? The only problem with the holidays is the holiday pounds that come with it. As much as I love to indulge in Thanksgiving sweets, I might just love keeping my summer figure a bit more. So for your healthy and sweet pleasure I present to you the Apple Pie Quinoa, an excellent alternative to Apple Pie. Apple Pie Quinoa can be a dessert, a snack or even breakfast. The best aspect about it is that its super easy to make.

You probably already have the ingredients needed in your fridge or pantry, so check before you run off to the grocery store only to turn around because you’ve realized you had everything all along. I speak from experience. You will need quinoa, brown sugar, two apples, unsalted butter, cinnamon and skim milk. The great aspect about quinoa is that it is jam-packed with manganese, riboflavin, iron and magnesium. On top of all of that quinoa is also high in fiber and its one of the most protein-rich foods we can eat. Hurrah for being healthy and eating well.

Photo by Angie Baquedano

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided

2 apples, cored and diced

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup skim milk
Directions:

1. You will begin by cooking the quinoa as directed on the packaging. After it is done, you can place it off to the side.
2. Turn the stove on to medium heat and place a skillet with ½ a tablespoon of butter. Allow the butter to melt.
3. Add the diced apples to the skillet and sauté until caramelized and tender.
4. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the apples and stir until they are all beautifully coated.
5. Finally, add milk to the skillet stir and add the quinoa and the other ½ tablespoon of butter. Stir and serve warm.

Viola, you now have a healthy, warm and delicious treat. I added fresh apples to my plate and more brown sugar since I am big on sweets. I also added condensed milk, but just a bit since that would defeat the purpose of this healthy alternative. Also, instead of skim milk I decided to use almond milk. This may give it a bit more of an oatmeal consistency, but it was delicious nonetheless! I hope absolutely everyone enjoys this recipe as much as I did. Happy Thanksgiving and eat until you’re in a food coma while you have the chance.