Disclosure: By posting this Warm Tropical Wild Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Sundae recipe, I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
Ever have a sundae for breakfast? Ever have a sundae for breakfast and feel super virtuous while eating it???
If you have {eaten one that is} that’s A-ok. But you could probably eat this “Maine meets the Tropics” inspired Warm Tropical Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Sundae EVERY morning, and feel a little smug about yourself, because it’s chock full of antioxidant-rich wild blueberries {Yes, wild. More on this in a sec…} and other yummy, healthy stuff, including quinoa, coconut, and macadamia nuts-hence the “tropical” theme.
So, let’s talk Wild Blueberries…
Did you know I almost always have a bag of frozen wild blueberries in my freezer at all times?
That’s because, although I love all types of blueberries, wild blueberries are super duper tasty and can be eaten year-round, thanks to our modern-day freezer storage. Something to be very thankful for, indeed!
And something else very impressive I just learned recently is that wild blueberries also have twice the antioxidant capacity of cultivated blueberries.
How cool is that???
More Wild Blueberry Fun Facts…
Wild blueberries owe a big thanks to anthocyanin, a flavonoid with powerful antioxidant capacity, for giving them both their gorgeous deep-blue pigment as well as their nutrition superstar status.
Although research is ongoing in all areas, the potential health benefits of eating wild blueberries may extend to multiple medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease (read this post about the best diet for brain health), cancer, heart health, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
Wild blueberries love the glacial soils and climate of Downeast Maine {where my Aunt and Uncle live, and my Aunt makes the best wild blueberry creations ever!} and Canada, where they have grown naturally for 10,000 years. If you want to eat them fresh, you’d better make a trip to Maine or Canada in August or September, but if you can’t make it there, no worries, because you can find the frozen fresh Wild Blueberries year round in a supermarket near you.
And, as I mentioned earlier, you can eat wild blueberries in a nutrient-packed breakfast sundae and feel smug and virtuous all day long, and since I made you two, you can eat the second sundae for dessert!
Maine {or Canada} meets the tropics in this nutrient packed breakfast sundae with wild blueberries, quinoa, coconut, and macadamia nuts. It’s a sundae you can feel virtuous about eating for breakfast!
Heat a small saute pan over medium heat, and add chopped macadamia nuts and shredded coconut. Toss nuts and coconut together, stirring frequently to prevent from burning, until lightly browned, or about 4-5 minutes. Remove mixture from pan and allow to cool.
Heat coconut oil in the same saute pan over medium heat, then add frozen wild blueberries, and stir until mixture is bubbling. Turn down heat to medium, and add ginger and optional coconut/brown sugar to wild blueberry mixture and continue stirring for about 5-6 minutes, or until blueberry sauce has reduced and thickened. Remove from heat and set aside while you assemble sundaes.
Place 1/2 scoop each of warm cooked quinoa {you may make quinoa ahead of time and reheat before preparing sundaes} in 2 glasses/bowls/sundae dishes and top with 1 heaping tablespoon each of wild blueberry syrup mixture and nut/coconut mixture. Next, top each sundae with 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt, then divide remaining wild blueberry syrup and nuts/coconut and place on top of breakfast sundaes. Serve while still warm.
Notes
Naturally gluten-free and vegetarian, but could easily be made vegan by using a dairy free yogurt.
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Are you a wild blueberry lover too? What’s your favorite way to eat wild blueberries? Did you know wild blueberries were such nutrition rockstars???
EA Stewart
Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist
EA Stewart, MBA, RD is an integrative registered dietitian specializing in wellness nutrition, digestive health, autoimmune disease, brain health, and vibrant aging. She creates easy, plant-forward gluten-free recipes for a wide variety of diets including low FODMAP, Mediterranean, and more.
