First (Failed) Attempt to Recreate a Restaurant Favorite – Little Beet’s Quinoa Oatmeal

Many years ago, I loved treating myself to the Little Beet's breakfast quinoa oatmeal.  A location (maybe their first?) opened in the midtown Manhattan building I worked in, and I quickly discovered that not only were their vegetable lunch options a delight, but also their breakfast contained a lot of surprises.  

The breakfast quinoa in particular was outstanding – vegan, creamy, full of spices like cardamon, and filling.  One portion could often be two breakfasts or serve as both breakfast and lunch on a busy day.  

Unfortunately though, with the passage of time, I both no longer live near any Little Beet locations, nor does the Little Beet appear to offer a breakfast menu anymore.  After many attempts to find a recipe or clues on the ingredients used, I recently decided to improvise my own breakfast quinoa oatmeal.  I drew some inspiration from other online recipes for breakfast quinoa, though none seemed to be based on, or that close to, the Little Beet version.

Here is what I did:

• Combined 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa with 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/16 tsp. each of ground cloves and nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. each of ground Vietnamese cinnamon and ground ginger, and 2 pods of cardamon
• Cooked above mixture in the Instant Pot for 1 minute under high pressure, and then did a natural release
• Added 1/2 tsp. of vanilla maple syrup to the finished quinoa

Here is what I found about this approach:

• There was far too much clove in the recipe, and I should have rinsed the quinoa for longer to get rid of more of its bitterness.
• In addition, I probably should have cooked the quinoa for longer – maybe 2 or 3 minutes to get more of a creamy oatmeal type texture versus just cooked quinoa.  Also, it might make sense to do a longer cook time on the stovetop instead of a pressure cook.
• I think more sweetness would have helped – which also could have come from some fresh fruit (maybe bananas) and more agave or maple syrup on top, a la a photo I could find of the Little Beet version.  

I'll report back if I get closer to my memory of this fantastic breakfast!