Porridge of the Week #31

Porridge of the Week #31
Raspberry and Honey with granola

Category: Flavour

With the swirls of pink running through the oats, this is a beautiful porridge to serve, as well as being healthy and very delicious. I find the colours really cheer me up in the morning- the aesthetic is real important to my porridge eating!
Porridges using fresh berries can be hard to get right. Fresh blueberry alone has very little flavour once mixed into the oats, and raspberries can be sharp and a bitter. The honey works perfectly with it to sweeten it up and make it a little more comforting. This is a really great, simple recipe. As I love texture and a bit of crunch, I like to add the granola to give it a slight 'crumble' effect.


Start by placing the raspberries in a bowl and pouring in a drizzle of milk- about enought o half cover them. In the microwave or on the hob, warm the raspberries til the milk has gone pink and is warmed through, looking like a hit raspberry milkshake. Warm the porridge with plenty of milk and allow to heat through. As it heats and starts to thicken, loosen it by pouring in the slightly crushed raspberries and milk mixture and stir with your spurtle until they begin to break down into the porridge. Add a squeeze of honey and serve up once warm. Top with a few whole raspberries and a little drizzle of honey and then scatter over a small amount of granola. You can actually use frozen raspberries for this if needs be as they will break down well into the mix.

I WILL add a photo of this porridge when I have one. it's too pretty not to!

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Porridge of the Week #29

Porridge of the Week #29
Cherry and Acai Berry

Category: Healthy

In a pan, mix your oats (I use the Waitrose oats with wheatbran) with a large spoonful of milled flaxseed. Pour in two tablespoons of blended Acai Berry. Taking a handful of fresh cherries, remove the stone and chop into large chunks. Tip into the pan with a some berry smoothie or a red fruit juice and top up to the consistency you prefer with water. Warm the pan, stirring throughout.

I love this porridge! With the wheatbran, flax and Acai berry, it's a great healthy start as well as being really warm and fruity. Not hard work at all!
Acai is one of the top Super Foods, high in antioxidents, packed with vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E. As well as this, it is good for the heart, immune system, energy levels, whilst encouraging healthy hair and skin. You cannot get enough of this berry!

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Porridge of the Week # 25

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Porridge of the Week #25
Stewed apple and blueberry

Category: Healthy
Prepare the apple by chopping and peeling a large apple and microwaving with a small amount of water and a teaspoon of sugar till softened into a chunky puree. Wet the porridge oats with a grape or apple juice and put onto the heat. Tip in the stewed apple and a sprinkling of dried blueberries (optional, but the add a bit of chew and are sweeter than the fresh). Add a half a cup of fresh blueberries and stir through. This is all- your porridge is ready!

This is a nice, light and fruity porridge. It's healthy and very summery. I find you need something like that in the morning during these dark days.

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Porridge of the Week # 24

Porridge of the Week #24
Porridge with mango, banana and coconut milk

This recipe is taken from the weekend's Guardian- which includes a supplement of great quick and healthy breakfast recipes put together by Ottolenghi.



Category: Flavour and Health. (Win Win!)

water
steel-cut oats (Irish oats)
A pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
tbsp maple syrup
banana, peeled and sliced
half a mango, peeled and diced
coconut milk
1 lime, halved

1. Bring the water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the oats and cook for 25-30 minutes (or 10-15 minutes if you've prepared the oats the night before), stirring occasionally and adding a little water if needed, until tender but still with a clear bite.
2. Off the heat, stir in the salt, vanilla and maple syrup.
3. Transfer to serving bowls and top with the banana, mango and coconut milk. Squeeze some fresh lime juice on top if you like.

Ottolenghu says; 'It's hard to beat the rough texture of steel-cut oats, with their slight resistance against the teeth. The rest of the components here offer pure, lazy-morning comfort, although you can wake yourself up properly by adding a little zing of lime. If you are well organised and think ahead, boil the oats with the water for a minute, chill and place in the fridge overnight. This will save you 10-15 minutes of cooking time the next morning.'

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Porridge of the Week # 19

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Porridge of the Week # 19
Egg and Bacon Porridge

This is a kind of tough one to get right, so there are a couple of ways of doing it. Start by soaking the oats in water and a sprinkle of salt. Warm it through, so it gets properly hot. Whilst this is on the go, grill four rashers of bacon and scramble one egg in a seperate pan. Get the oats to just before the ideal consistency- but a little extra runny.
When it is ready and the egg and bacon is prepped, get a second egg and crack into the centre of the porridge. Leave it to warm for a minute. Stir the edges of the porridge, leaving the egg in the centre. Continue to do this until the egg begins to cook, then stir in. Tip in the scrambled egg and mosr of the bacon, chopped into pieces, leaving some aside, and stir just enough to mix in.
Divide the porridge between two bowls. Top with the remaining bacon and crack black pepper over. Serve.

This is a good porridge for those who don't like sweet things in the morning. It's tough to gt right as the egg can disappear into the oats if added or stirred too early- hence adding a bit of scrambled! You could also chop in a poached egg. I drizzled with a bit of brown sauce, which went down well.
I'm not sure I would do it regularly, but these things have to be tried! It's fun to serve up, at least.

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Porridge of the Week # 18

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Porridge of the Week #18
Porridge Lover's Banana and Peanut Butter
http://www.http//porridge-lovers.blogspot.com/

Whilst warming through the oats and milk, mash a banana. Set aside a few slices. Stir the mash into the porridge mix with a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter. You can also stir in a teaspoon of brown sugar if you prefer it a little sweeter- do this to taste.
Stir though and serve into a bowl. Top with the banana slices and some crushed peanuts.

Here's an anecdote. When a midwife mentioned to my Mama that she thought my brother was a bit on the small side it made her worry a little bit (being a first time mother, I assume). In a bid to bulk him up a bit, she started trying to hide peanut butter in his food (Don't ask me what gave her that idea!). One day she got a bit lazy, and he found it. He hasn't eaten peanut butter since. If you are also trying to fatten up your babbies, then you may want to try this porridge recipe...

I got this porridge from the Porridge Lover's blog, where there are tons of recipes I want to try. If one porridge a week isn't enough for you, check it out! There's plenty of recipes there as well as plenty of other porridge related posts.

This recipe may fall more into the 'flavour' category than the 'healthy' one, but if not healthy, it's actually pretty nutritious (as my Mama will attest, I'm sure). If you try get organic peanut butter then its high in protein and pretty guilt free. So enjoy.

You can also shave a bit of dark chocolate in (high in antioxidants people, so no need to panic...) and then its kind of like Snicker's porridge! Om nom nom. That's pretty much worthy of a post in itself!

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Porridge of the Week #17

Fig, Raspberry and Vanilla

Porridge of the Week #17

Category: Healthy/ Flavour

Soak the oats in sweetened soya milk, adding in a drop of vanilla essence. Tip in a handful of raspberries and stir in, crushing slightly. Cut or tear up a very ripe fig into wedges and also add into the oats. Warm through and pour into a bowl. Serve with a few extra raspberries and a sprinkling of dessicated coconut.

Its that simple! Really a very quick porridge... I think it counts as healthy- the raspberries are high in fibre and there's no added sugar. Make sure you make it now whilst figs are in season! The raspberries are sharp and the fig gives it a nice crunchy texture. A lovely, light and sweet breakfast that won't leave you feeling heavy.

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Porridge of the Week #14

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Porridge of the Week #14

Birchermueseli

Category: Healthy

Fill a bowl with porridge oats. Cover with enough milk or apple juice (I would use apple juice) to moisten and cover, chilled, for at least an hour, or overnight. When it is ready, grate an apple into the porridge oats mix. Add a scattering of raisins and mixed seeds (make sure you only do this before serving, and not before you leave it to soak- swollen raisins and soft seeds are grim!). Stir in a fruit yoghurt- enough to make it thick and creamy.
Serve into bowls and top the cold mix with mixed fruit. You could either go for local seasonal berries such as blueberries and blackberries, or create a tropical version with mango, pineapple, etc. Chopped apple, pear and banana is also good.
Finally, top with a few roasted almonds or chopped hazelnuts.

This porridge was inspired by my recent trip to Vienna, where birchermueseli frequents most breakfast menus. After doing the rodgrod med flode, I wanted to do another International Porridge. Expect some future P.O.T.Ws from other distant climes!
This isn't a traditional porridge in that it is served cold, but its great for if you aren't really in a porridge mood (Sometimes, occasionally, it happens...) or can be really elegant to serve to guests!

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How to Make... Granola

Granola, crunchy... whatever you want to call it. Is granola an American-ism for crunchy? Is crunchy even a word? Is granola used to describe the hard crunchy cereal in England and used to describe anything that resembles muesli in the US? Its a mystery. Please let me know if you have the answers!

This is so stupidly easy I feel a bit ashamed even putting it up. But its an absolute must for breakfast fanatics (Oh, I know you're out there...) and it makes your kitchen smell gorgeous for a little bit.

It's also really nice to have a granola made from scratch. It may be sugary, but at least there isn't added sugar or any of the other bizarre and unnecessary things you find written in the un-ending small-print on the side of cereal boxes.

In a bowl, mix together oats with a handful of raisins, hazelnuts, almonds, cranberries and pecans. I also add in a good handful of mixed seeds for texture. I put mixed seeds in everything.

You can also be creative- put in whatever you want. Dried prunes, apricots, Brazil nuts... Even mix in some cereal that you have a particular penchant for.

Spoon in enough maple syrup to hold it all together. Stir through until its all bound in a flaky, sticky ball.

Line a tray with parchment paper and spoon the mixture on, spreading it out evenly. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at about 170. When it comes out it should be golden brown and soft, probably deeper in colour around the edges. As you leave it to cool it will harden up. Break up the mix into granola-esque lumps. In an air tight container, it should store for about two weeks.

I would recommend it scattered over muesli, with Greek yoghurt and blueberries. To make it extra wonderful, you could caramelise whole pecans separately or bake in Golden Syrup, before stirring in at the end. There really is nothing better in the world than breakfast.

I have it on good authority from in-house taste tester that this is a success! It is lovely- and worth making in bulk.

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Porridge of the Week #13

Porridge of the Week #13
Raspberry and Almond

Category: Healthy
Warm the porridge through, softening it with milk. Drop in one drop of almond essence and, as it is warming, add the raspberry. Stir them in with your spurtle, crushing some of them and breaking them up as you do so. Take a large handful of plain unsalted almonds and crush by hand. Tip this into the porridge and mix. Plate up and serve with a a few extra raspberries and a whole almond.

I really struggled with this porridge- healthy or flavoured?? Raspberries are packed with fibre and anti oxidants, and it is recommended to get nuts and seeds into your diet at breakfast time, so I decided to go with healthy... But it has some good flavour, too!

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Karolina's Strawberry and Honey Porridge

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"I always mix oats with oat bran 50/50. Todays porridge I have cooked with milk and a pinch of cinnamon. In a bowl I added fresh strawberries (quartered) and about tablespoon of runny honey. I always bring organic Polish honey from home, because my stepdad's cousin is a bee keeper.

I bring good quality honey when coming back from Poland, because I know it comes from a good source and it is truly delicious. And it does not cost a fortune, like hanuka honey!"

- Karolina (www.sensesinthekitchen-karolina.blogspot.com)

Thankyou so much for your contribution! This definately sounds like one to try.
If you are as impressed by this porridge recipe too, check out her blogspot. Her recipes put mine to shame!

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Porridge of the Week #3

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Porridge of the Week #3

Porridge with apple juice, apricots and mixed seeds

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Category: Healthy

Replace your milk or water with apple juice. Soak some apricots in warm water, and then add to the porridge. Sprinkle with sultanas, cinammon and mixed seeds.

I've been given some recipes for some really great, decadant porridges, but following the absolute indulgence of Aaran's porridge two weeks ago, I feel its time for a healthy porridge. Apricots are great health foods, and the apple gives you an extra shot of vitamins.

... I promise it tastes good, too!

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Morning my Darlings!

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Good morning! I'm in such a good mood today. Breakfast can do that to me.
It is oft said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this is something I firmly believe in. Nothing offends me more than people who skip breakfast (Apart from maybe bad grammar...)

My holy grail in life is to achieve the nutritionally perfect breakfast. I research all the contrasting theories surrounding the best things you should eat, and in what quantities- but that's a long long story for another today.

Today it was sunny, so I woke up feeling amazing anyway. This led to making celebration smoothie- banana and strawberry. I used the leftover to make smoothie porridge. Healthy, and good hot or cold! I must say I'm actually very taken with it chilled.

Whilst I'm on the topic of smoothies and porridge, let me recommend this for you-

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Breakfast Smoothie

Often in the summer I'm just not feeling the warm heaviness of porridge, even though I do love it. I like to get the same good porridge benefits but with an uber summer vibe by making a breakfast smoothie.

Simply blend yoghurt, soya milk (go on, live dangerously) with mixed oats and a bit of cereal- I find muesli is best, especially if you get one with nuts and lots of dried fruit.
Tip in a cup of frozen berries. Not only does this make it super fresh and cheap, its also much more economical! Blend it all up into a thick, cold, beautifully coloured mush in a food processor- it will have the consistency of textured sorbet.

Finally, top with some mixed fresh berries and crushed fruit and fibre. Just looking at it makes me feel as good as I do when I drink it.

Voila!

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New Bowl!

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Yesterday I celebrated the end of my degree by buying a matching bowl and cup from the Whittard's sale.
Breakfast is very ceremonial for me and I always have to have a special bowl for my porridge- it makes it taste that much better. This is my new porridge bowl and morning coffee cup, and it got christened with berry porridge this morning!


Happy Days.

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