Orange & Date Dessert Quinoa

Directions

1. 1
   Squeeze the juice from one of the oranges into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Set the remaining oranges aside.
2. 2
   Add enough water to the freshly squeezed juice to make two cups.
3. 3
   Place orange water into a 4 quart sauce pan.
4. 4
   Add the agave, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and cardamom to the water. Cover and bring to a boil.
5. 5
   Add the rinsed quinoa to the boiling water, cover, and bring back up to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in butter.While the quinoa is cooking, cut the peel off of the orange and segment. (Also known as supreme – if you don’t know how to do this, see my post on How to Segment an Orange.) Make sure to catch any juice over a bowl and squeeze the extra juice from the leftover pith part of the orange into a bowl as well.
6. 6
   Cut the segments into 4 or 5 pieces each, depending on the size of your oranges.
7. 7
   Cut the dates into sliced and then cut each slice into several pieces.
8. 8
   Transfer the cooked quinoa to a bowl, stir in the extra orange juice, the orange pieces, and the date pieces.
9. 9
   Serve warm or at room temperature topped with Greek yogurt and toasted almond slices if desired.