With the crisp cold autumn mornings my body is really craving warm, sweet and spicy foods. we also have so many plums coming in our veg box because they are till in season, so rather than adding the plums to yogurt or putting them in the blender to make a smoothie I thought I’d add them to some warm quinoa and add some spice in. For me, this is comfort food at it’s best. The plums add just the right amount of tangy-ness and sweetness, and taste wonderful warm with the spices and the texture of the quinoa. I think this will be a winter favourite for me.

Quinoa, not a grain but rather an edible seed is a complete source of proteins and  a great source of calcium, magnesium, iron and more. It’s also fantastically easy to cook and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. There are also plenty of reasons to eat plums, they are packed full of antioxidants and have plenty of fibre. Add into the mix the blood sugar level balancing properties of cinnamon, the anti-inflammatory properties of Turmeric, plus some Nutmeg to aid in digestion… and you have yourself a super-food breakfast.

You can find quinoa in some of the larger supermarkets, or in most health food shops. Try it out!

Spiced Plum & quinoa breakfast

(serves 2)

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 4 plums pitted and cut into quarters
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• honey or maple syrup to sweeten (optional)