Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake

Hi guys!

I'm a little late for meat free monday, but I still want to share a vegetarian breakfast recipe with you. I am a little obsessed with anything that includes quinoa at the moment, so when I discovered the following recipe, I was hooked. It combines my favorite grain with all of fall's goodness. Sweet or tart apples and those spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg you love from your Pumpkin lattes.

I discovered the recipe on the website "www.fitsugar.com". The website focuses on everything surrounding fitness and offers a ton of healthy, easy to follow recipes. Here's the link to the recipe:
http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Apple-Cinnamon-Quinoa-Breakfast-Bake-32210316

Here's the recipe:
1 cup (200g) uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 apples
1/4 cup (50g) raisins
2 eggs
2 cups (500ml) vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup
1/3 cup (about 60g) whole almonds
Sunflower oil or butter, for greasing

1) Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Rinse the quinoa thoroughly. 

2) Grease a 18 x 28cm (7 x 11 inch) baking dish. Fill with the quinoa and spices and mix.

3) Peel the apples and cut them into 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes. Add the apples along with the raising to the quinoa.

4) Put the eggs, soy milk and maple syrup in a bowl and whisk to combine. 

5) Pour the liquids over the quinoa and apples and carefully stir everything. 

6) Roughly chop the almonds and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 1 hour or until set. 

Yield: 6 slices
Active preparation time: about 20 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Here is how my bake looks:

This is perfect to make ahead on the weekend and reheat in the oven (about 10 minutes at 150°C (300°F) or microwave. 

I love the combination of soft quinoa and the fall spices. I made this bake once using regular soy milk and the second time using hazelnut milk. Almond milk should work perfectly, too. I personally like the addition the hazelnut milk gives this dish. It really complements the apple. I guess you could use your favorite variety of apples. I personally prefer crisp, tart apples that taste rather sour than sweet, but feel free to choose any sort you like.

Most of all though, I like the fact that this is warm. In autumn, the nights get chillier and I am feeling better starting my day with something warm.

Have fun trying and start the chilly fall days right!