Baked Quinoa Porridge or Pudding from Ricki Heller's new cookbook, Living Candida-Free,

Last year, I was fortunate to serve as one of the recipe testers for Ricki Heller's new cookbook, Living Candida-Free. Some of you may remember me sharing photos at the time. It was a busy but utterly delicious few months, and I am delighted to be able to review the book now. I am also delighted to host a give away so you can win your own copy of the book. To round things out, I am sharing one of Ricki's new  recipes today - Baked Quinoa Porridge or Pudding.

Before getting to the recipe (and give away!), let me share some general information with you about Living Candida-Free. The book tackles the challenges of managing sugar intake in today's world. I think we all know that too much sugar isn't good for us, but for some people, too much sugar (or even moderate amounts of sugar) can result in a range of physical and mental health problems that persist and worsen over time. Ricki shares her knowledge and experience around an anti-candida diet, which is designed to combat the consequences of excess sugar and allow for flavour-filled dishes without added sugars. 

The book includes recipes for three phases of eating, ranging from no sugars at all through to moderate and selective intake. The amazing thing is that even in the most conservative phase, Ricki manages to create delicious dishes and wonderful desserts. It's not all about stevia either - she includes options for other sweeteners in many recipes. Her book also talks about what candida is, and covers a range of cooking basics. Plus, every one of the 100 recipes is vegan.

Baked quinoa porridge or pudding (recipe copyright to Ricki Heller, Living Candida-Free)

I didn't test every recipe included in the book, but I did trial the majority of them. The range of dishes on offer is fantastic, with breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts all well covered. Some of the recipes call for unusual ingredients or long-ish preparation times, but many can be made quickly with kitchen basics. Some particular favourites of mine were 'Creamy Black Beans and Rutabaga Stew with Bharat Spice Mix' (top left below), 'S'Mores Parfaits' (middle left below), and the 'Baked Quinoa Porridge or Pudding' that I'm featuring today.

Example dishes from Living Candida-Free (photos taken during recipe testing)

The Baked Quinoa Porridge or Pudding is particularly appealing because it works well as breakfast and dessert. I had never tried sweet baked quinoa dishes before, and the recipe was a bit of a revelation for me. Served hot, this is similar to porridge, but it is also enjoyable cold and it lasts well over the week. If you're serving it for dessert, it can be livened up with dairy-free ice cream or cream (recipes for which are included in the book).

Ricki lists various optional 'add ins' for this dish, appropriate to different stages of an anti-candida diet. I have never needed to follow anti-candida eating strictly, so I served mine with fruit. If you are avoiding fruit-containing sugars, it could also be made with nuts or seeds in the mix.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, but if you'd like to win a copy of the full book, just leave a comment below telling me the sugar-filled dish you'd find hardest to give up. I'm willing to bet many of them would be covered with a recipe in Living Candida-Free! I will select one response at random on the 31st January 2015. There are no geographical restrictions for this give away.

Baked Quinoa Porridge or Pudding

From Living Candida-Free by Ricki Heller. Reprinted with permission from DaCapo Lifelong, © 2015.

Good for: all stages of an anti-candida diet.

I love baked oatmeal, so was delighted to find a way to reproduce the creaminess of oatmeal in a quinoa-based porridge. It also tastes great cold from the refrigerator the next day.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Ingredients

Coconut oil, for pan

1/2 cup (95 g) uncooked quinoa (either soak overnight or rinse if dry - I just rinsed mine)

1/3 cup (80 ml) smooth natural almond butter (or use another nut butter if you prefer)

1 1/2 cups (360 ml) unsweetened plain or vanilla almond, or hemp milk, or Homemade Coconut Milk (recipe provided in the book)

2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons (10 ml) minced fresh ginger, or 3/4 teaspoon (3.5 ml) ground ginger

Pinch of fine sea salt

1/16 teaspoon (0.25 ml) pure stevia powder, or 1/8 teaspoon (0.5 ml) pure liquid stevia, or to taste

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a medium-size (about 6 cups [1.5 L]) lidded casserole dish.

Sprinkle the quinoa into the prepared dish. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until smooth, then pour over the quinoa. Stir gently until all the quinoa is submerged under the liquid. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, uncover, and stir; replace the cover, and continue to bake, checking every 20 minutes or so, until the liquid is absorbed and the porridge is cooked and creamy, for 40 to 50 more minutes. 

Spoon into bowls and serve (this is lovely with ice cream or whipped cream).

Variations: After mixing everything in the casserole dish, add up to 1/2 cup (120 ml) total of any one of the following (or a combination totaling 1/2 cup [120 ml]): walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or Oven-Dried Cranberries (page 105) at any stage; or blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or chopped apple or pear at Stage 2 or beyond.

So tell me - what sugar-filled dish would you find hardest to give up, or would you most like to see recreated with healthier ingredients?

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