Cinco de Mayo Quinoa Breakfast

Happy Cinco de Mayo mis amores!

What can I say? I woke up this morning feeling a deep-seeded urge to celebrate this momentous occasion in style with a superbly fabulous breakfast.

Usually, at least back in my college hay-days, Cinco de Mayo meant margaritas in the sun, burritos for lunch, shrimp on the grill for dinner. Oh and did I mention margaritas? Basically, it meant tequila and lots of it.

Now I'm feeling more grown up - it's hard to spend all day drinking. My body gets tired. I'm not saying that I still don't enjoy my drinks (because I most certainly do), but I'm happier waking up on a Saturday and not feeling like dirt, feeling ready to take on the day and get stuff done.

And it all starts with a power charged breakfast.

We start this morning with the basics. Mexican flavors and ingredients at their best. At first glance it may seem like we're making guacamole, but don't let these fabulous foods fool you. We have another delicious quinoa power breakfast in the making.

At the base, this breakfast is comprised of all my favorite foods: tomatoes, limes, avocado, kale and quinoa. Topped with a warm fried egg, with the gooey yolk oozing into the quinoa? Mmm...seriously tasty.

This breakfast is like a fiesta in your mouth. It's light, bright and super flavorful, plus it's packed with tons of nutrients and will keep you energized for the day ahead. Trust me, this recipe is one hundred percent worthy of a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Fried egg over Cinco de Mayo Quinoa

I posted a photo of a similar breakfast two weeks back on the Queen of Quinoa Facebook page (have you liked me yet??) and I got so much positive feedback that I just had to share my recipe with you all. This time around I spiced up the quinoa a little by adding cilantro and lime, and it just served to highlight the other ingredients more. Absolutely sensational.

Cinco de Mayo Quinoa Breakfast
serves 2

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dry quinoa
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 cup steamed kale, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 2 organic free-range eggs
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Hot sauce to taste

Place the quinoa and 1 cup filtered water into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. When boiling, turn down to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 8 - 10 minutes. When the water has been absorbed, remove the quinoa from the heat, keeping the cover on and let sit for 5 minutes.

When the quinoa is slightly cooled and fluffy, add the cilantro and lime juice and stir to combine. Add the kale and tomatoes, gently tossing the ingredients together. Finally, add the avocado, gently folding it into the quinoa mixture to ensure they keep their shape and don't get smooshed. Set aside and cover with a dish towel.

Heat a frying pan on medium heat on the stove. Spray with non-stick spray and crack both eggs into the pan. Depending on your preference and how runny you like the egg, your cooking time will vary. We like over medium, so we cooked the egg about 1 minute on one side and flipped it over for another 45 seconds or so. 

Serve the quinoa mixture on two dishes and top each with an egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and maybe a touch of hot sauce (if you can handle the heat!) and thoroughly enjoy. 

Ole!