THE GRINNING BELLY

I’m definitely an autumnophile (is that even a word?) as I love fall. And, to me, September is easily the nicest month of the year around Thunder Bay. Early September can still feel like summer, but by this point in the season, the heat and the humidity (and my frizzy hair) has calmed down a smidge. Kitchens here are bustling with canning, drying, and freezing the garden’s bounty, and—fingers crossed—this year, the kids will be back at school to stay. Later-on September means Real Fall is just around the corner. To that, I say, bring on the cool weather’s woolly sweaters, crunchy leaves on the ground, and rainy mornings.

To me, autumn in TBay also means cosy fall flavours like apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup emanating from the stove. Yay! Earlier this year, I received a jar of homemade maple syrup from a friend, and it’s divine. The jar

may be hidden at the back of my fridge, and I may have forgotten to tell my family about it. Don’t worry—they’re doing just fine with the store-bought stuff from Quebec.

This easy-peasy breakfast recipe incorporates all those fall-y flavours and is perfect to shovel into the kids before shuttling them out the door. I’ve added some rolled oats to the quinoa to mix up the texture a little, but feel free to go with straight-up quinoa, if you prefer. If you can’t stomach the thought of cold/raw apples in the morning, you can dice/ grate the whole peeled apple and cook it with the grains, too. On top of your porridge, you can serve as written, or you could go rogue and add chopped nuts, seeds, berries, or a sprinkle of nutmeg or brown sugar.

Apple-Quinoa-Oat Breakfast Bowl serves 2

1 apple, divided

1/3 c quinoa, rinsed

1/3 c large flake rolled oats

1½ c milk of choice (dairy/non-dairy)

2 Tbsp nut butter of choice (almond or cashew is nice)

1–3 Tbsp maple syrup

1–2 tsp cinnamon

Peel and dice or grate half the apple, and place in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Thinly slice the remainder (peeled or not) and set it aside until you’re ready to serve.

Place quinoa, oats, milk, and nut butter into the saucepan with the grated apple. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the quinoa has developed tiny tendrils spiraling from each grain. Remove from the heat.

Stir in maple syrup and cinnamon to taste. Garnish with reserved apple slices, another drizzle of syrup and sprinkle of cinnamon, and any extra toppings mentioned above.