Winter is approaching and you know what that means: oatmeal overload on instagram. Everywhere you look there’ll be someone taking a photo of their oatmeal. How do you even compete in such a saturated market? You gotta change the game. Below are three quick and delicious variations of porridge to promote variety in your diet: quinoa porridge, buckwheat porridge and classic oatmeal done right.
Buckwheat porridge
The best thing about the co-op is that you don’t have to go anywhere else to buy your toppings. It’s all 100% organic meaning it’s only the best quality. Seriously. There’s something about the maple syrup that’s next level.
Quinoa porridge
The classic oatmeal – Serves: one. Total preparation time: 5 minutes.
This is by far the quickest and most versatile recipe that most people seem to get wrong. To do this right all you need is half a cup of oats, half a cup of water and about a quarter cup of nut milk (or more depending on how creamy you like it). Put the oats in saucepan on medium high heat with the water. As soon as it starts to bubble turn the heat down to medium. Oats absorb water like a sponge so if you’ve ever tried making oatmeal with milk you’ll know how much longer it takes. When the water is completely absorbed add the milk and stir for about a minute.
Buckwheat porridge – Serves: one. Total preparation time: 10 minutes.
This is probably my favourite recipe for porridge because it’s creamy, gluten free and super nutritious. To make this you’ll need to soak half a cup of buckwheat kernels overnight otherwise it takes about half an hour to cook from scratch. Ain’t nobody got time for dat. Make sure you give them a good rinse in the morning because they get kind of sticky. Fun fact: soaking nuts and seeds activates them so if you ever see an advertisement for activated almonds you now know what that means. Add your buckwheat to a saucepan on medium heat for a few minutes to gently toast them. Take off the heat and add one cup of water and one cup of nut or coconut milk (for a creamier porridge use two cups milk). Put back on heat and stir for about five minutes until thick. For natural sweetness add one grated apple with skin on.
Quinoa porridge – Serves: one. Total preparation time: 10 minutes.
I always eat this porridge on days I need the most energy. It’s super filling, delicious and screaming with goodness. To get started all you need is half a cup of quinoa and one cup of water. Bring to boil in a small saucepan then reduce to medium heat. When almost all the water is absorbed add a cup of milk (coconut milk makes it super creamy). Cook until thick and creamy.
Toppings
For obvious reasons this is the most important part of the meal. With the right toppings you can manipulate the texture and taste. Classic oatmeal goes really well with juicy fruits like berries, peanut butter and dried fruits. Buckwheat with inca berries and dried bananas are amazing. For quinoa I like to make it extra creamy with pan seared bananas. Just cut a banana in half and fry it with a little bit of oil in a pan. You can also try a berry compote by reducing a handful of berries and water till thick. For sweetness, you can’t go past the maple syrup or Raw honey. Seriously. This sounds like such a cliché but you cannot die without trying them.
About the author:
Kirsty is an avid whole foods recipe creator for her blog. She loves demonstrating that being conscious of what you eat is not only beneficial to your health and the planet, but also really fun. She uses ingredients that are seasonal and package-free to maximise health and minimise waste. All recipes are free of meat and dairy.
Visit her website here