Spiced Peaches & Cream Quinoa Porridge

A couple of weeks ago, Brad and I found ourselves faced with a childless weekend. This is a foreign idea to me these days. Weekends are typically filled with tasks that don't vary from the rest of the week; cooking, dishes, playing Star Wars, cooking, dishes, playing Star Wars... You get the idea. We took advantage of our 36 free hours to work on some projects around the house, go see a movie, and head to brunch.

It was strange. And wonderful. And strange.

We visited a popular brunch spot in this region of the country called Snooze A.M. Eatery. Their pancakes are to die for and their eggs benedict makes me teary. But on this particular day, I decided to go in a new direction and try their quinoa porridge. It was perfection: warm, flavorful, studded with fresh peaches, and comforting without being heavy. That, plus a latte, made me oh so happy. And I know that when my Palisade peaches arrived, I would have to recreate the dish.

Can we discuss Colorado peaches for a second? Every area of the world has a food that cannot be beat anywhere else. For example: Japan + sushi. France + croissants. Argentina + malbec (not food but WHATEVS). Well, I've been racking my brain for FOUR YEARS trying to decide what Colorado's food is, and it isn't green chiles. It is peaches. To be clear, I love green chiles, but Colorado does not blow the competition out of the water with that one.

Peaches all the way.

If you aren't in Colorado and don't have access to truly delicious peaches, I have good news! You can make this perfectly wonderful breakfast with just about any fruit. Bananas? Yep. Strawberries? Heck yes! Seriously. Just about anything. Play with the fruit, the nuts, the spices...find what makes your soul sing and go with it.

Spiced Peaches & Cream Quinoa Porridge

Makes 4 hearty servings

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 peaches, peeled and diced
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup pepitas, toasted
• fresh peach slices

1. Combine the quinoa, almond milk, spices and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until quinoa is tender. (note: there will still be plenty of liquid in the pan to achieve a porridge-like consistency. ALSO, keep a close eye on the quinoa as it cooks as the almond milk can easily bubble over!)
2. Stir the peaches and maple syrup into the cooked quinoa. Scoop into serving bowls and top with pepitas, fresh peach slices, and additional maple syrup if desired.

Raspberry Gingersnap Parfaits

I’ve partnered with the wonderful folks at Tillamook to bring you this post. I love, love, LOVE their products and am always happy to bring you delicious new ideas to put them to use! Now that their yogurts are more widely available in the Denver area, I hope my Colorado readers will get out there and give this creamy, healthy snack a try!

I want to talk about this Raspberry Ginger Snap Parfait but can we first acknowledge the fact that we just moved? Three weeks ago we were just starting our second round of house-hunting and the very first open house we attended was the (completely unexpected) winner. And now we live here. Holy goodness gracious we are insane.

The 11 month old has been confined to the pack and play for most of his days, and the 4 year old is excited but loopy-tired and experimenting with his...um...emotional expressions. Needless to say, we are all exhausted and tired and worn out and drained and sleepy. Yep. All of those things. Because one word isn’t enough.

In the midst of all the packing, diaper changing, and time out-giving, it has been tricky to find a way to feed myself. Literally. But, lucky for me, I always have a stockpile of Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt in my refrigerator. My husband doesn’t even have to ask what brand of yogurt (or ice cream and cheese, for that matter) to buy for me because he knows I’ll always say Tillamook.

Here are a few of the reasons why I love Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt:

• Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt is less tart than other Greek yogurts (mom, if you’re reading this, this one’s for you!) because it’s made the farmstyle way. The combination of the farm fresh dairy ingredients and use of seven active yogurt and buttermilk cultures is what makes Tillamook’s Greek yogurt “farmstyle,” yielding a creamier, extra thick Greek yogurt.

• Tillamook’s authentically-strained, fat-free Greek yogurt is layered on top of sweet, ripe fruits sourced from the Pacific Northwest or mixed with other high quality ingredients like Pacific Northwest honey, giving it a satisfying taste that is uniquely Tillamook.

• Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt is made with only natural ingredients, which means they don’t use artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup. One of my least favorite ‘surprises’ is reading an ingredient list on a container of yogurt and finding high fructose corn syrup. Yuck.

• Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt also provides 14g of protein, making it the perfect snack for busy days!

And one more thing: this yogurt is so delicious that it can pass as a dessert! I’ve layered their Washington Raspberry 2% Farmstyle Greek Yogurt with zingy crushed gingersnaps and candied ginger for a holiday-ready dessert. Or if you’re not into yogurt for the dessert, this will feel like having dessert for breakfast! The layers of decadently creamy yogurt, chewy candied ginger, and crunchy ginger snaps are made even more beautiful and delicious with the addition of a few fresh raspberries.

If you’re having guests stay with you in the next couple of weeks, this is a perfect a make-ahead, healthier dessert option. An added bonus is that the kids can help assemble them!

If you’re sugared out, I would recommend that you head to the store for Tillamook’s Plain and Simple 2% Farmstyle Greek Yogurt so you can make this beautiful, stupid easy Roasted Carrot Soup. The yogurt makes the perfect topping and gives the soup a creamy flavor without the insane fat content of heavy cream. I also love swapping the topping for these sweet potato waffles with Tillamook’s Oregon Marionberry 0% Farmstyle Greek Yogurt. Breakfast perfection!

Here’s to a happy, healthy, easy holiday season!

If you’re in the Denver area and want to check out Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt, head to any of these fine establishments:

• King Soopers

• Walmart

• Safeway

• Albertsons

Raspberry Gingersnap Parfaits

Makes 4 parfaits

• 4 single-serving yogurt cups Washington Raspberry 2% Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt

• 12 gingersnap cookies, crushed

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped candied ginger

• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1. Scoop 1/4 cup yogurt into the bottom of four small jars or glasses.

2. Sprinkle some of the crushed gingersnaps over the yogurt, followed by a small amount of the candied ginger. Continue with another layer of yogurt, gingersnaps, and ginger, finishing with a layer of yogurt.

3. Top the final layer of yogurt with fresh raspberries and a final sprinkle of crushed gingersnaps and serve!

*Note: These can be made a few hours ahead of time, but the gingersnaps will soften. This isn’t a bad thing (in fact, I love them that way), but I thought some of you would like a heads up