Who doesn’t love a fulfilling and comforting breakfast in the morning? Personally, I do!
I must admit I don’t post breakfast recipes very often and I don’t even know why, but I love to indulge in a hot, creamy porridge in winter and yoghurt and smoothie bowls in summer. Not to talk about savoury toasts which are my weekends’ favourite!
Since Veganuary is in full swing and I had promised to share easy vegan meals, it’s finally time to reveal my creamy porridge recipe.
My method might not be the proper way to do it, but trust me, after making it for years, I realised that the secret for a creamy and smooth porridge is to use porridge oats (of course!) and to blend them before cooking.
The recipe below is very basic and I used a blend of spices to add some flavour. Though you can make it with cocoa powder, coffee, unsalted squash purée, grated carrots, raisins, bananas, apples, pears, nut butter and a lot more… The same goes for the topping: just get creative and use whatever you fancy most!
BASE INGREDIENTS:
80g gluten-free porridge oats*
250 to 300ml plant-based milk or water
A pinch of salt
Sugar or sweetener (optional)
Spices such as cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Finely blend the oat flakes into flour. This step is the secret to a super smooth porridge.
Place the oat “flour” into a saucepan along with the salt and dry ingredients. In my case, I used cinnamon, ginger, cloves, star anise and cardamom but you can use cocoa powder, add sugar, fresh fruit to cook in it, nut butter etc.
Pour the milk, whisk or stir and bring to a simmer, cooking over low to medium heat. Keep stirring and if the porridge clumps a bit, remove from the heat and add a bit more milk or water.
Once it has reached a smooth and creamy texture, it’s ready.
If you are using whole spices like me, try to remove them before serving.
Top it with anything you fancy: fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, nut butter, chocolate chips and don’t forget a dash of maple syrup.
With these quantities, you will have enough to fill 3 to 4 bowls. You can store the porridge in a food container in the fridge for up to 5 days. When reheating it, simply microwave it and add an extra splash of milk.
*Pure oats are gluten-free and safe for most people with gluten intolerance. However, oats are often contaminated with gluten because they may be processed in the same facilities as gluten-containing grains like wheat, rye, and barley.
If you have an intolerance or allergy, make sure to buy oats specifically labelled as GF.
