The Coolest Breakfast Around? Breakfast Grain Salad
When you hear the word “salad,” do you immediately think of leafy greens and crunchy, raw vegetables? Because I definitely do, even though I know full well that the salads come in many forms. Salads can be made of warm, sauteed veggies, chicken or tuna, pasta and more. And mixing up the types of things you toss in there, like protein and complex carbs, can take salad of any type to a whole new level.
Even knowing about all these different types of salads, I still tend to think of salad as a lunch or dinnertime meal, and the fact is, breakfast salad is something we really shouldn’t ignore. And when it comes to a tasty and nutritious breakfast salad, you don’t need to look much farther than this breakfast grain salad recipe from Guiding Stars’ Allison Stowell, MS, RD, CDN.
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1 cup golden quinoa
- ½ cup millet
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and cut into discs
- 2 large lemons, zest and juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 cups hazelnuts, roughly chopped and toasted
- 2 cups blueberries or mixed berries
- Mix the oats, quinoa, and millet in a fine mesh strainer and rinse for about a minute under running water. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the grains and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until they begin smelling toasted. Pour in 4½ cups water and stir in ¾ teaspoon salt, the ginger and the zest of 1 lemon.
- Bring to boil, cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Remove the ginger. Spread hot grains on a large baking sheet and let cool for at least half an hour. Stir in the zest of the second lemon.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with the juice of both lemons until emulsified. Whisk in the maple syrup, yogurt and nutmeg. Pour this into the grains and stir until well-coated. Stir in the toasted hazelnuts and blueberries. Refrigerate overnight.
Have you ever had breakfast salad? And yes, it counts if you have a late breakfast comprised of last night’s leftover big ass salad. No judgement from me! —Kristen