It’s plum season! And this Plum Bake recipe makes the perfect healthy dessert or even breakfast.

This Plum Bake also really makes me appreciate late summer. It’s the way in which the plums leave this purpleness that you can see on the quinoa in the photo. It reminds me of the changing leaves that are already beginning to glow in late summer.

If you pick plums and eat them raw you’ll probably be overwhelmed by their sourness. However, like so many tart fruits, once cooked and in a recipe with some sweet ingredients they transform into this wonderful, deep flavour that feels incredibly comforting and nourishing.

My sister grows a lot of fruit and vegetables so I was lucky enough to be given some of her damson plum abundance to create a delicious dessert, but you can use any plums in this recipe.

Instead of opting for a traditional crumble I decided to replace the oats that you typically use in a crumble with quinoa, to ramp up the nutrient content of this Plum Bake. As I’m sure you know quinoa is arguably one of the most highly nutritious foods on the planet, and you can read why via my 5 Easy Quinoa Recipe Ideas & the Health Benefits of Quinoa post.

But what are the health benefits of damsons and plums?

The Health Benefits of Plums & Damsons

Plums score high on the nutrition front, and have way more health benefits than you may think.

1. Firstly, damsons and plums are rich in antioxidants due to their high content of anthocyanin. This blue plant compound is supposed to have antioxidative properties and can therefore have anti-aging effects.
2. They contain vitamin C which is also a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents, counter inflammation and scavenge harmful free radicals.
3. Fresh plums, especially the yellow mirabelle type, contain vitamin A and beta-carotene. Vitamin A is essential for good eyesight and is also required for maintaining healthy mucosa and skin. Eating natural fruits rich in vitamin A has been found to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
4. The fruit also has some health-promoting flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants such as lutein, cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin in significant amounts. Again these compounds help act as scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
5. Zeaxanthin, is actually an important dietary carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea where it is thought to provide antioxidant and protective UV light-filtering functions. So it’s a really beneficial nutrient for the eye and in particular macular health.
6. Plums are plentiful in minerals like potassium, and iron. Iron is required for red blood cell formation. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure.
7. A good source of B-complex groups of vitamins such as niacin (B3), vitamin B6, and pantothenic acid (B5). These vitamins act as cofactors to help the body metabolise carbohydrates, protein, and fats. They also provide about 5% RDA levels of vitamin K.
8. Vitamin K is essential for the functioning of many clotting factors in the blood vessels as well as in bone metabolism.
9. If you are concerned about calories they also score well (46 calories per 100 g) and contain no saturated fats.
10. And finally if you've indulged in plums or damsons before, you may remember their effect on your digestive system. Plums and damsons are rich in fibre, especially the fibre pectin, which aids digestion. The good bacteria in our gut love pectin, so by eating damsons and plums, you’re feeding your good bacteria. And yes, that’s a great thing.

Healthy Plum Bake Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes  Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

Description

This Healthy Plum Bake with quinoa literally requires only a handful of main ingredients and some additional staple cupboard ones to maximise flavour potential.

Basically you cook the quinoa with lots of warming spices, then you put it into a baking dish, cover it with damsons or plums and bake it. Then 30 minutes later you have a rich warming healthy pudding that you can devour.

You could even make this for breakfast or certainly have any leftovers for breakfast on a weekend for something a bit extra special.

If you like plum pie or plum crumble, this Plum Bake is definitely for you.

INGREDIENTS

• 200 g quinoa
• 600 ml oat milk (gluten-free)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 pinches cardamom
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• a pinch sea or rock salt
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
• 300g plums (or damsons)
• 30g hazelnuts
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Coconut oil for greasing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the quinoa in water for at least 15 minutes. Drain the quinoa and place it in a pan together with 400 ml of the oat milk. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and add cinnamon, cardamom, salt, vanilla essence and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
2. Cook the quinoa for 10 minutes then set aside to rest for another 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 °C fan setting. Half the damsons, remove the stone and then slice them again into quarters. Roughly blitz the hazelnuts in a food processor and grease a baking dish with coconut oil.
4. Add another 200 ml of oat milk to the cooked millet in the pan, then pour everything into the baking dish. Place the damsons on top of the quinoa, then add the hazelnuts.
5. Mix the olive oil with the remaining tablespoon of maple syrup, place the bowl you've mixed it in in a bowl or pan of hot water for it to thin slightly, and then drizzle on top of the Plum Bake.
6. Put the dish in the oven and cook for 30 minutes before enjoying warm or cold, for breakfast the next day.

Enjoy!

Notes: You can also freeze this Plum Bake if you want to double the quantity and save half for another meal or you want to make it ahead of time. However, I think it's better to enjoy it fresh.

 

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Tag @nicolamonson on Instagram and use the #nicolamonsonrecipes hashtag. I love seeing your recreations. And if you have any suggestions, questions or comments feel free to leave a comment below.

 

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