Quinoa "Huevos Rancheros"

I believe in breakfast.
I believe in quiet mornings.
I believe in coffee.


I always give myself at least an hour to linger in the morning. The sun hangs at just the right place in the sky. The air is quiet and still. It's like all of nature takes a long, slow sip of coffee and lets out a deep sigh. I don't like feeling hurried, frantic, or frenzied. When I think back to my high school days, I cannot believe I ever managed to hop out of bed rush out the door in mere minutes. Although it takes me less time to get ready now than it used to, I like having time to get my mind in the right place. Maybe if I had given myself this time to mentally prepare for the day when I was in my teens, I wouldn't have been so, how shall we say this, teenager-ish?


If everyone ate breakfast, drank coffee, and took a little time to linger in the mornings, we probably wouldn't have road rage. And if everyone ate this Quinoa Huevos Rancheros on the back porch with a steaming hot latte? We would probably have a cure for cancer. And world peace.

Confession: I didn't exactly make the Mexican Fiesta Quinoa myself. It was leftover from last night. My mom made it following this recipe. Of course, she improvised (recipes are mere suggestions after all) and opted to saute the onions, peppers, etc. in a little bit of olive oil before mixing everything together. The colors turned out less vibrant than the original recipe, but I'll take a sweet, caramelized onion over a raw one any day. I topped it with an egg (over easy) and it was legitimately the best "huevos rancheros" I've ever had. Granted, it was a departure from the traditional dish (there were no tortillas in sight.) But I think it was a welcome change. When that silky yolk invaded the bold, crunchy quinoa... magic. Bonus: Quinoa is packed with protein, so it kept me full past lunchtime! Tasty and healthy? I'll take it.