Blueberry Quinoa Pudding

Blueberry Quinoa Pudding ~ Quinoa is such a versatile grain that you can make it as a first course or as a dessert.  My grandfather Pepe use to make cakes out of quinoa, among many other dishes, during a time in Peru when this grain was only fed to the chickens or eaten mainly by the Andean people in the mountains. Every years, Pepe made four cakes for my birthday, and we ate this one right after all the kids were done destroying the piñata.

This dessert is a variation of an original quinoa pudding that I posted a few months back, but this one is made with blueberries.  I find that the blueberries give it a fruity crunch and a beautiful color!

blueberry quinoa pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups of coconut milk (1 13.5 oz can)
• 1/2 cup of hot water plus extra for adding while cooking
• 1/8 cup of agave nectar (use more or less according to the sweetness level you prefer)
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen and thawed blueberries
• 1 tablespoon of Kuzu Root (dissolved in 2 tablespoons of cold water until you have a white liquid)
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Fill kettle with at least two cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn heat off and keep kettle nearby.
2. Rinse quinoa and place in a medium pan.  Add coconut milk, water and vanilla and bring to a boil on high. Turn heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes stirring as necessary making sure it doesn’t stick.
3. Stir in Kuzu and raisins and cook for another 5-10 minutes.  If you find that the quinoa is sticking or so thick that it is jumping out of the pot, add a bit more hot water and stir as needed.
4. Stir in agave and blueberries.  When quinoa is cooked, the small kernels will plump and have a white halo around them.
5. Transfer pudding to a dish and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until set.
6. Serve with fruit and/or vegan ice cream.  Serves 6