Porridge

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Porridge

Adapted from 

NY Times article “5 Nutritious Grains Experts Want You to Try”

by My Little Blue Heron

The original recipe was offered by a NY Times reader in the comment section as of the above cited article, published on 17 October, 2024. If possible, follow the link and read the NY Times article. It’s excellent! I've tweaked it a little. 

As the weather cools (or deep-freezes), this is a yummy breakfast cereal recipe. If you love hot cereal and a hearty breakfast, this is a fantastic recipe. If you don’t eat gluten, or if you ever have gut issues (check out a low fodmap diet) this will be a perfect recipe for you.

I love a dollop of this (cold!) on my yogurt. Add a few berries or raisins, and it adds texture, fiber, nutrients and taste. Yum!

Feel free to sub butter (or non-dairy butter sub like "Miyoko's") for ghee, cow or ‘other’ milk for almond milk, other sweetener .. less if you prefer, but please do put together my fall spice mix. It makes this taste really great. This spice mix is versatile, and you can use it on your other cereals, in yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies and in as a spice in your baked goods. It's warm and comforting. Recipe is offered below!

Grains: steel cut oats, millet, quinoa OR buckwheat. Quinoa isn't on my favorite grain list, and I liked subbing buckwheat. If you like quinoa, stick with it! 

If fresh ginger isn’t easy to find, use powdered (organic is best.) 

Grating fresh ginger can be a pain (even painful!), but if you have a ginger grater, it’s easy. I have this one, It also zests fruits and grates garlic. I recommend this handy kitchen tool.  MLBH truc: Peeling ginger is simple: use the edge of a teaspoon to scrape the ginger’s skin.

Directions below are for both stovetop and Instant Pot.  Instant Pot is super creamy, but both are excellent!

Stay cozy, warm and very safe.

Peace and love,

Jane

Everyday Sweet Spice Mix:

This is a quick and easy to put together spice mix. These sweet spices are a little “fiery” and may help stir up your digestion. I sprinkle this on yogurt, oatmeal and on baked sweet potatoes! When I want the additional taste of nutmeg, I grate it fresh. You can add some nutmeg to this recipe if you love  nutmeg! 

Keep this in a small spice jar. Enjoy it! 

 

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon (any of Penzeys cinnamons are great - read about them!)

2 Tbsp. ground powdered ginger

1 Tbsp. ground cardamom (grind pods yourself or buy ground)

Porridge

Equipment: Large pot with lid or Instant Pot

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp. Unsalted ghee or butter

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1/2 cup quinoa (any color), rinsed OR raw buckwheat

1/2 cup millet, rinsed

1 large or 2 small apples (preferably organic), peeled and grated (I use a box grater)

1 3-inch finger fresh ginger, peeled & grated 

or 2-3 tsp. powdered ginger 

3 c. milk or choice (I used unsweetened almond milk) 

1 1/2 c. water (for stovetop recipe, additional 1 cup)

5-6 Tbsp. maple syrup (Agave, if you prefer)

1/2 -1 tsp. Everyday Sweet Spice Mix, or - cinnamon

1/2-1 1/2 tsp. kosher or table salt (or none if you’re restricting salt)

Procedure:

Pressure Cooker or Stovetop (for Stovetop: YOU WILL NEED AN ADDITIONAL 1 CUP OF WATER):

Stovetop: Warm ghee or butter over medium heat - just melted and then add just the oats (they are dry, not rinsed) and stir over medium heat until they begin to impart a wonderful, nutty aroma. Be careful not to burn the oats. 

Instant Pot: Choose “sauté” and melt ghee/butter and sauté the oats until toasty and fragrant.

Both stovetop and Instant Pot: Add the rinsed millet and quinoa, the grated apple and ginger, milk, water (additional 1 cup for stovetop), maple syrup, spices, salt, and stir well. 

Stovetop: After adding that additional 1 cup of water, raise heat to high, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally,  for 30 minutes, or until the porridge has reached your happy texture. You may need to add additional water. 

Instant Pot: Seal and press “Porridge”. This is pre-programmed for 20 minutes (on mine), and this worked very well. When ready, release pressure. If too thick, you can add some room temperature water. Mine was perfect. 

Yields enough to feed a crowd (8-10). If you don't need the entire batch, portion the cooked porridge into individual or small serving containers and freeze. 

Puffed Buckwheat - Chocolatey!

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Chocolate Puffed Buckwheat

Gluten and dairy free (with a vegan option)

Adapted from nourish everyday.com by My Little Blue Heron 

Remember cocoa puffs? These are a little reminiscent, but without the sugar blast or gluten. 

You’ll need to find puffed buckwheat. The first place I found it was at the great shop in NYC called Kalustyan’s. They sell it, but in small batches. You can buy buckwheat puffs from this fantastic resource, Olive Nation. (Explore the site for extracts, baking ingredients and sales!) 

Puffed B'll last for a while. I mix it into yogurt, cottage cheese, and mix it into my other gluten free cereals. It has a nutty taste, its texture is not unlike packing material, but I like it. 

What's cool is this recipe transforms these little puffs into little crunchies, and has them doing "The Tighten Up". Final product is just a tiny bit sweet, delicious and fun! I haven’t tried this with other puffed grains, but you can try this with (untoasted) puffed rice, corn, millet or sorghum (all available at OliveNation.com.)

This fun recipe comes together in a few minutes, and stored in an airtight jar, it’ll last for a at least a month. It’s easy to make and can be a really fun project in the kitchen with your kids!

I prefer using ground vanilla over vanilla extract. I like this brand, but, there are other great choices for pure, ground vanilla. GROUND vanilla quantity rule is 1/2 the quantity of liquid vanilla extract. Instead of adding to wet, mix it into your dry ingredients.

The combination of cacao and carob can be played with. If you don’t have carob or cacao, use cocoa powder. I love carob because it’s naturally sweet (chocolate’s naturally bitter.) Carob is from an evergreen tree indigenous to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. A real carob-perk is that if you get headaches, unlike chocolate, carob won't trigger them.

Take care not to over-bake your cereal. When the baking is completed, the finished cereal won’t be crispy. It'll crisp up as it cools.

I love this liquid coconut oil. It’s easy, flavorless and organic. If you shy from coconut oil, try another flavorless oil, like canola, sunflower or safflower. Or go bold with a dash of nut oil .. hazelnut oil will really complement the chocolatey profile.

Use honey (raw, organic and local is ideal) or for vegan/lower fodmap, I love maple syrup.

puff-peace, and love,

Jane

Chocolate Puffed Buckwheat

Equipment: Bowls, microwave proof measuring cup or small saucepan, two baking sheets, parchment paper

Ingredients:

5 cups puffed buckwheat

1 Tbsp. cacao powder (or cocoa powder)

2 Tbsp. carob powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon (I like Ceylon)

4 Tbsp. coconut or flavorless oil (liquid, unflavored and organic is great)

4 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup 

2 tsp. vanilla extract OR 1 tsp. pure ground vanilla bean

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 300º F. (150º C.)

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

In a small bowl, whisk together: carob, cacao, cinnamon, and if using, ground vanilla bean.

In a large bowl, measure puffed buckwheat. Add the measure flavors and using a whisk or spoon, stir to combine.

In a microwave-proof measuring cup or bowl, warm (on med-high power) for about 30 seconds, the coconut oil and honey (or maple syrup), and if using, vanilla extract. OR, heat gently in a saucepan. The mixture should be warm and liquid. 

Pour the warmed liquid over the dry ingredients and with a large spoon, stir until combined and well-coated.

Divide mixture on to the two baking sheets and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes, flipping the cereal very gently with a large spatula about half way through the bake. Turn the sheets front to back and top to bottom. This will avoid the outermost edges from burning.

Remove trays from oven and leave on sheets until completely cooled. The cereal will harden and crisp. 

Store in an airtight container. Will keep for about a month.

Oatmeal Ayurvedic Style

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Oatmeal – Ayurvedic Style

Adapted from Divya Alter by My Little Blue Heron

 

It’s a cold and snowy, snow day in NYC. Feels great to stay home because of the weather. 

Here’s an old-fashioned breakfast (lunch or dinner) that’ll warm you and make you feel great, inside out.

 

Overnight oats are so 2020. Add water and wait or nuke containers are okay for emergencies. 

This recipe may help to rekindle your love for oatmeal. 

 

The smallest teaspoon of ghee renders a luxurious and velvety porridge. Ayurvedic cooking prefers cultured ghee (which is sometimes difficult to find and when found, pricier than ‘regular’ ghee.)

 I have both. For this recipe, I use plain old ghee. 

This one’s my favorite. When it’s on sale, buy a couple of them.

 

Bye-bye bland! Cardamom, cinnamon and saffron not only taste gorgeous, but these spices help with your digestion. After eating a bowl of this, you won’t feel like you have a resident squatter in your tummy. 

I like to add a pinch of pure ground vanilla. It's not inexpensive (all vanilla is pricey!) I like this one because it isn't cut with anything:  an ounce of powder from Madagascar.

The only sweetener in this is sweet masala or a simple chopped date or a handful of raisins. The spices are 'sweet'! 

 

MLBH Truc: use your teeth to crack open the end of a cardamom pod (I’m serious.)

 

N.B.If you don’t have saffron, no big deal. Alter writes that you can substitute ground fennel for cinnamon (or you might just add a pinch of ground fennel.) I do love ground fennel. It’s a great spice that is sweet, light and is great for digestion.

I’ve made this with both rolled and steel cut oats, and my preference is steel cut. If you’re going to  use steel cut oats, be prepared for the additions of more water and more time. If you soak the oats overnight (and then drain them before proceeding with the recipe), you will reduce cooking time!) 

It’s best to prepare this with organic oats. If you don’t have organic oats, next time you are  restocking the pantry, consider organic. 

Alter calls for either cow’s or almond milk. I've never used cow's milk and use only almond or oat milk. If you use cow’s milk, I suggest using organic, grass fed whole milk.

 

This recipe is for a (large!) single serving and is easily scaled up. (Ayurveda is anti-leftovers. In an ideal world, a lifestyle with time, it makes sense to eat everything freshly prepared. I have a busy schedule and work early in the morning. I would probably be berated by Ayurvedic practitioners, but I feel no shame. 

Stay warm, cozy, safe and healthy.

 

with warmth and love,

jane

 

  

Oatmeal – Ayurvedic Style

 

Ingredients:

 

1 tsp. ghee

2 cardamom pods, slightly opened at one end

1-inch-long cinnamon stick

1/8 tsp pure vanilla powder

2 (or more, if small or not the highest quality) saffron threads

¼ cup rolled or steel cut oats*(see step 4)

½ cup water

½ cup almond, oat or cow’s milk

1 tsp. sweet masala (follow the link!) or 1 chopped Medjool date or 1 Tbsp. raisins

Procedure:

 

1       In a small saucepan that has a lid, heat the ghee over med-low heat. 

 

2       Add the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick and toast for a minute or less,         until fragrant.

 

3       Add the oats and saffron, and if using the sweet masala, add it now. Stir, coating the oats well with the ghee, allowing the ghee to penetrate and absorb into the grains. Toast for a minute or two.

 

4       Add the water (first) and then the milk. If sweetening with dates or raisins, toss them in now. 

 

         *If using steel cut oats, increase water by ½ cup. You may need to continue to add water as the oats cook until they reach desired tenderness.

 

5       Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover. 

 

6       Cook rolled oats for about 10 minutes. Cook steel cut oats for considerably longer .. 20 to 40 minutes, depending on your heat, your liquid and desired texture. Don’t be afraid to continue to add liquid. You’re the boss. The finished texture will be   very creamy.

 

7       Remove from heat. Remove the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick.

 

8       Inhale, eat, smile, repeat.