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Podcast Co-host, recipe developer, and food photographer for the Smarter Science of Slim.
Tales of food, travel & adventure - a little bit of crazy with a whole lot of SANE.
I love oatmeal (porridge). That’s love with a capital “L”. It was one of the highlights – or quite possibly the only highlight – of a damp, grey, cold winter morning in England. A big, steaming bowl of stand-your-spoon-up-in-it-thick, freshly cooked oatmeal with ladles of clumpy, brown sugar spread over the top and milk splashed all over. YUM. And then a little more sugar sprinkled on as I scooped my way down towards the bottom of the bowl. YUM. Fast forward a few years and I would routinely run downstairs to the cafe and grab two bowls of steel-cut oatmeal for Geoff and I to scarf down in the office, before most of the crew showed up for the day; because oatmeal is healthy, right? Well, it turns out, not so much. So until last weekend, this was the only oatmeal I indulged in anymore.
Last Saturday, when my eyes flew open at 4:46 am, I wanted oatmeal. Really, really wanted oatmeal. The temperature has been slowly falling with the golden leaves, the blinds have all been drawn, and the big, fat, fluffy duvet is back on the bed. Sure signs of an impending oatmeal craving over at the Brown house. Spurred on by an inbox full of requests for some oatmeal *SANEity, I shuffled off to the kitchen in my oversized, chunky, cable-knit sweater, the bottom half of my red checked PJs, and my bed-head hair tied up in a happy, perky – if rather messy – ponytail. I rifled through the cupboards to see what might work for tricking my mouth and my belly into feeling the oh-so-delicious and familiar comfort on a chilly, heading-towards-winter morning.
I lined up a row of Le Parfait jars - filled with an assortment of nutty, seedy things – across the kitchen counter like soldiers standing to attention. I pulled out the tray of spice jars & breathed in the delicious scent from each one. I flipped the switch on my trusty electric kettle. I love that thing. Almost as much as I love my friend, Trey, who sent it over from New York for the Holidays one year. The same Trey who spent a morning in the waiting room at Lennox Hill Hospital in Manhattan 2 years ago while my left kidney was trying to decide whether it would be more fun to explode or to just quit working. Fortuitously, having a rather indecisive kidney gave the doctors enough time to sort it out before it all went horribly wrong. That was a 5-day, $50,000 dollar staycation that I have no wish to ever repeat. I remember that it was the weekend Chelsea Clinton got married and that the weather was lovely. I am in denial about everything else, particularly the mafia Grandma next to me who had a revolving door of mob members gathered around yelling & cussing at each other across her bed from sun-up to sun-down, and the 6 shots of morphine that they pumped through my veins at 1 am – in a desperate attempt to stop me screaming loudly enough to wake the entire Upper East Side - when a stone in my kidney made a run for it. I was particularly grateful for lots of really good drugs that weekend.
Happily, the contents of my neatly aligned jars also have magic powers to turn an ordinary, dull, Fall Saturday into something akin to a huge hug from a favorite friend. Like the friend that Trey was to me when I found myself stranded in New York, 3000 miles from home, with an angry kidney, and a renewed appreciation for painkillers, and hospital beds that move into all manner of positions at the quick flick of a remote control. That bed was fantastic. I wanted to bring it home.
Between stumbling out of bed last Saturday morning, and falling back in the sack last Sunday night I had eaten 5 bowls of this stuff. A couple of times I added raspberries, Sunday morning a sliced pear slid right on in, and the other bowls I downed au naturel. By bowl #5 I was already getting a bit jaded with the whole open-8-jars-and-scoop-stuff shenanigans, so I determined that what we porridge-lovers needed was an instant version. Yes! Now I have a jar full of mix all ready in the ‘fridge and this Hot and Nutty Cereal has become the fastest route to a big bowl of warm, comforting *SANEity.
Bizarre, maybe, but this made me even happier than those Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies did. There’s no accounting for taste.
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon if you don’t have Pumpkin Pie Spice)
2 scoops / ⅔ cup vanilla whey powder
1 cup boiling water
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp xylitol
Instructions
Place chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and coconut in a coffee grinder and grind until fine. (If you use a blender such as a Vitamix be careful you don’t eat up with a paste!)
Pour ground mix into a bowl, add ground flax seeds, almond meal, spice and vanilla whey powder.
Mix well until completely blended.
Add cup of boiling water and stir well. Leave to sit for one minute to thicken.
Stir.
Add more boiling water if you prefer a runnier cereal.
Add vanilla extract, and xylitol or equivalent to sweeten to taste.
Here is the recipe for 10 servings of instant mix:
10 tbsp chia seeds
10 tbsp sunflower seeds
20 tbsp unsweetened coconut
10 tbsp ground flax seeds
20 tbsp almond meal
10 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
10 scoops / 3 1/3 cups vanilla whey powder
In batches, place chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and coconut in a coffee grinder and grind until fine. (If you use a blender such as a Vitamix be careful you don’t end up with a paste!) Pour ground mix into a large bowl, add ground flax seeds, almond meal, spice and vanilla whey powder. Mix very well until completely blended. Store in an air-tight glass jar in the ‘fridge.
Then, when you stumble into the kitchen, bleary-eyed from your 7 hours of shut-eye, here’s the recipe for 1 serving of instant Hot and Nutty Cereal:
1/2 cup instant cereal mix
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp xylitol
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Place cereal mix in a bowl, pour on boiling water and stir very well. Leave for a minute to thicken, and add more boiling water if you prefer a thinner cereal. Add vanilla extract and xylitol or equivalent to sweeten to taste. Voila!
Once you have figured out how much sweetener you use, you could also add that to the bulk instant cereal mix. You don’t even need to do this at home. Take your instant mix in a lidded bowl to work with you, add hot water when you get there and have instant yum right there at your desk.
Cowgirl Rae-I’m going to try this for my DH, he is Canadian and LOVES Bobs Red Mill thick rolled oats cooked thick to stand up a spoon and chock full of flax and raisins. He is trying hard to forgo the oats but misses them. He may find this tolerable. I think he’d prefer a little texture so I will coarse grind it, more of a chop.
Thanks again for a creative solution.
To make it a bit more instant one could add vanilla powder?
carrie-Vanilla powder is a great idea – I have never used it – so will check it out. As always read the ingredients :-) I ground mine course too – I like texture in my porridge – otherwise it’s like a seed smoothie!
Kayla McColl-What an excellent idea Carrie!! It looks divine! BTW, I love your voice and attitude on the show- how you are always “reeling in” Jonathan. haha! It’s so enjoyable to listen to! Thank you for sharing your blog, stories, recipes and the podcast :)
carrie-That boy is such a problem ;-) Thanks for your kind words – you make it all worthwhile.
Kyle -I used Vega plant-based vanilla protein powder and part hazelnut meal, part almond meal and added chopped hazelnuts, golden raisins, and blackberries at the end. Was much uglier than yours, but still delicious. I no longer miss Kashi vanilla oatmeal! Next time I’m going to use my vanilla chai protein powder! From one bacon lover to another, this is a great alternative to eggs for breakfast. . Thank you!
carrie-Oh I love hazelnuts! I’ll have to try that :-) I love eggs, but for me there’s nothing quite like a steaming bowl of porridge on a cold morning. PS. Bacon lovers unite!
Shawna -Another home-run. This is very filling and VERY tasty. And I love that you can make it ahead of time for a really quick breakfast. I don’t know what xylitol is or where to buy it…imagine in the sweetener section? But I’ve been using Torani sugar-free syrups (the stuff they use in coffee/espresso)in my tea, hot cereals, yogurt, and occasionally on squash. I used the vanilla version in this. It’s sweetened with Splenda, so I assume it’s safe to use in a mostly SANE diet?
carrie-Shawna – Xylitol goes by brand name of Xyla. It will be in the sweetener section if stocked. I buy online in bulk because I use so much in recipe testing. Splenda is fine, so thumbs up on the Torani!
Heather Carson -Carrie, THANK YOU!! I just ate your porridge for the first time and it was fantastic!!
I so missed my oatmeal but not today. I didn’t even add the sweetener. I am going to make up the 10 servings above as I plan on eating this often.
-Heath
Cowgirl Rae-I made this for DH, I chopped the sunflower seeds coarsely and used raw flaked coconut and added 2T psyllium powder. For DH benefit I added 2T of thick rolled oats (he needed to SEE the value of it) He tasted it and said he would eat it. This is a LOOOOONG time oats eater and he misses his oats and flax.
Thanks for the recipe.
carrie-YAY!!!! Love it, Heather! This totally makes me not miss oatmeal too :-)
Sarah -Fantastic recipe, Carrie. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just ate this, and I am looking forward to having many more bowls of this in my future.
Alison -Thanks carrie love this recipe have made it with choclate whey protien delicious and added little greek yogurt also works well with strawberry whey protein . Looking forward to trying other recipes from your site.
carrie-YAY! Thanks so much for the feedbasck, Alison! I’ll have to try the chocolate whey – YUM :-)
carrie-Oh I am so glad you love it, Sarah! THANK YOU for your support :-) Did you make the big “instant” batch? I love a hot 15 second breakfast!!
Susan-Carrie, This recipe has been exactly what I needed to get over my need for oatmeal! As I am 1/2 British, I have seriously been missing my oatmeal with warm milk. This is great and I use warm unsweetened almond milk poured over it!
Bob -I’m going to have to try this. I made it through the Summer pretty well without missing my Scottish Oatmeal too much, but now that Fall has rolled around I’m jonesing for it.
I find breakfast so difficult because it has to be satisfying and fast. I get sick of eggs and just don’t like yoghurt for breakfast. The strangest thing is that I’ve found stir-fried vegetables with ham, a little fish sauce, Siracha and soy sauce makes an excellent breakfast, but not everyday.
carrie-Bob – have you tried mixing flavored whey powder into yoghurt? I find that helps me a lot – and then I eat it with the granola recipe I posted. It’s fast and very filling. I love your ham and veggie breakfast!
Sarah -One of my favorite things about this recipe is its ease of travel. I mixed up enough of the instant mix (everything but the water and vanilla)for two breakfasts and packed it for a 2 day trip to the in-laws. My in-laws try to eat healthy, so of course they offered us a bevy of carb-heavy, sugar-heavy breakfast options (bagels, muffins, pastries, cereal, muffins, and yogurt/granola parfaits). So glad to have this SANE cereal instead! Thanks for helping me make my Thanksgiving SANEr, Carrie!
carrie-Sarah – do you have any idea how happy your comment makes me??!!! I travel a lot and breakfasts can be really hard on the road. Since I drive most everywhere I usually end up taking my blender with me so I can make smoothies! When I can’t do that though, this and the SANE granola are total lifesavers. Happy, happy Thanksgiving!!
Janknitz -LOVE this, but OMG, Carrie. I was making the large recipe, going along adding 10 tbsp of this and 20 tbsp of that. I was on autopilot, so instead of adding 10 TEAspoons of cinnamon (I don’t like pumpkin pie spice) I added 10 TABLEspoons. OY!
I had to go out and buy more ingredient$ so I can add 2/3 more of the other inngredients to make the proportions right. This is turning into very expensive cereal, but I think I’ll have a lifetime supply. It’s yummy, so that’s a good thing! LOL!
Two thoughts:
1. If the protein powder is sweetened you may not need to add any more sweetener (I surely don’t!).
2. This is a GREAT travel breakfast idea! All you need to do is add hot water, easy to carry and you are always assured of a SANE breakfast when traveling. I plan to also pack some boxes of whipping cream (Trader Joe’s) to add to my coffee and a little on the cereal. I’m good to go. (Cream for a road trip, wouldn’t work in carry-on luggage if flying because of TSA rules but you could put it in checked luggage).
carrie-Janknitz – you made me LOL. OY, indeed!!!! Make sure you are using a SANE whey powder. The one JB and I use has 1g of sugar per scoop. You are right, it is a fabulous travel companion!
Catherine -Hi Carrie, BIG fan of the show and I’m lovin your recipes. This one I just made and it is Delicious!! Thanks for everything you do and keep the recipes comin!! :D
carrie-THANK YOU, Catherine! Your note makes it all worth while.
Dolores -Carrie, We come from the land down under. My husband loves oatmeal (no doubt due to his English ancestry), and really enjoyed this but we didn’t have any Vanilla Whey, so we substituted Chocolate Whey, it tasted really yummy. Ever inventive he put cold water in his and popped it in the microwave until it puffed up like oatmeal. A great success.
carrie-Hi Delores! Thanks for stopping by! We Brits do love our porridge :-) Glad that you loved it, and love your little tweaks to make it fit with your lifestyle. Feedback always appreciated!
ladyp1234 -I made this morning, and have just finished the second half now. I enjoyed it so thanks v much for incorporating all that goodness. Any ideas for how to get veg portions in alongside? Nothing from the veg drawer appealedto me….
Tracy -this was delicious. I just made it this morning and it tastes just like cream of wheat to me. next time, I think I will put cocoa in it and make it cocoa wheats. thanks!
tracy -very filling too. good for a winter morning or any summer day in England. lol
carrie-Hi Pen – when I eat this for breakfast, it’s pretty much all I can manage, so on “porridge” days I make sure I get extra veggies at lunch and dinner. I look at the day as a whole when figuring out the balance of veggies / protein etc, not each meal individually, because I just find that easier to manage and less daunting.
Jennie Tod -Hi Carrie, love this recipe. As it is summer in Oz, I have been having it mixed with cold green tea and blueberries. I don’t add any sweetner or cinnamon but use chocolate protein powder. A fast and enjoyable breakfast before work.
lorrie -Okay I’ve always despised any type of oatmeal, however since I’m always reading through everything out here, these ideas sound amazing!! I’ll be trying a few this weekend. Thank you all for your ideas hmm I might have to try some now these made me hungry :-D
Mel -Loving your blog and even more the podcasts, this recipe sounds great , after thinking oats ere good on a clean diet ( I soak mine overnight …. Half a cup oats to 1 cup of water, and a tbs of nay yog, its supposed to release something?? Any way I want to try this but don’t have a grinder??? I have a kmix blender and a rather crappy but ok processor is that ok. Don’t fancy pestle and mortar!! Ha ha
carrie-Thanks, Mel! Your food processor should work, it just may not grind as fine though. Oats are not good :-(
carrie-Lorrie – I’ll make an “oatmeal” lover of you yet!
Lorrie -My hubby now prefers this over oatmeal. I made a huge batch of it last week and we are now out and he requested more! Success.
carrie-Great question, Nick! I thought I had gone back and updated all the recipes with an equivalent in cups, but I missed this one, sorry about that. 1 scoop = 1/3 cup. I will also weigh it and add a weight. Hope that helps!
Diana -I am making up my third batch of this right now, in industrial quantities. :-). My 4-year-old asks for this for breakfast now and even my husband grudgingly tried some and ate the whole bowl. We make it with plain whey powder and no sweetener and add fruit and creme fraiche. Heavenly!
Matilda-I can’t believe I haven’t posted my thoughts on this recipe.
Another winner with this one Carrie. It’s so filling! I love it.
I love it even more with warm milk, or warm coconut milk, just like hot porridge. So very good. I didn’t need the extra sweetness or the essence as I loved the flavours just as they are.
Will so be making this one in bulk!
carrie-Oh Matilda – I love how excited you get about everything!! :-) I do love this cereal. And it is SO easy if you make it in bulk. Scoop, scoop, stir, done!
Barbra -Another fabulous recipe Carrie!! I have been enjoying this – a great replacement for the oatmeal I’ve been missing. I need to try Matilda’s suggestion to use coconut milk. Today I added some egg white and cooked it up as a pancake with a few strawberry slices on top – super yummy :)
I simply can’t go another day without talking about Cauliflower Cheese. I was going to hold this one back for a special occasion, but then Sunset Magazine went and published my image on their Facebook page and suddenly everyone was clamoring for it.
Cauliflower Cheese is one of my childhood all-time favorite food memories; along with Sainsbury’s Steak and Kidney Pie and crinkle-cut chips (fries), and anything topped with mashed potatoes or smothered in cheese sauce. And when I say cheese sauce, I am not referring to anything that comes out of a tube, a container of any kind, and / or glows in the dark, effectively reminding you of the last time you saw one of these.
If I remember correctly, I was making cheese sauce before I could tie my own shoelaces; and to be honest, although I didn’t look up a recipe for Cauliflower Cheese, or even surf the web for a cheese sauce, it doesn’t feel right taking kudos for this recipe. I watched my mother make this countless times, usually while I was sitting atop the kitchen counter, swinging my legs and snatching a few shards of grated cheese whenever I thought she wasn’t looking. Of course, she knew. Mothers always do.
My friend Steve, who lives in England and runs with wolves at the weekends, makes a fantastic Cauliflower Cheese. I was the fortunate recipient of many a plateful back in the ’90s. Yes, cauliflower in cheese sauce has had quite a part to play in my life over the years. It’s one of my go-to comfort foods.
Jonathan wouldn’t approve – so let’s just keep this between ourselves – but sometimes I’ll just eat the entire dish of cauliflower cheese and call it good for dinner. It’s awesome; despite the fact that I can hear Bailor babbling in my brain, “Where’s the protein?” Word to the wise, if you’re like me and do the Cauliflower Cheese deal for dinner one night, make sure you’ve had all your protein earlier in the day. That should keep Bailor bubbling, rather than babbling. You can think of his smiling face as you watch the cheese sauce bubbling under the grill (broiler).
This isn’t something I eat all the time – the milk and cheese make it less SANE than most things I cook – but for me it’s a simply wonderful thing to throw in among all the *SANEity, and I can’t imagine any other way I’d eat an entire cauliflower in one sitting.
If you struggle with getting your veggies in, this might be a good way to help get you there. When we were in the studio recording the other day, Jonathan confessed that he spent most of his life hating vegetables, and now look at him. I am thinking of having him change his name to Jonathan Vegetable Bailor.
Whatever will help you get there, do it. Add them to smoothies, turn them into soups, cover them in cheese sauce. Whatever works. Just enjoy.
In other news – it’s always fun to almost set the kitchen on fire. As long as it’s almost. Kitchen Tip of the Day: Always turn the burner off before you lay tea towels over it. Always.
liz -Like you I too LOVE cauliflower cheese but since becoming vegan it has been of the cards.
Have you tried using an alternative milk? Whizzing almonds in Vitamix with water. This would also add protein- or even hemp.
I substitute Yeast flakes and mustard to give a ‘cheese’ sauce with ground cashew nuts.
carrie-You can sub out any milk you prefer – coconut, hemp, almond – I just still like the taste of cow’s milk better :-) The yeast / mustard / ground cashews is interesting!!
Ladyp1234 -I am eating this now. I looked at the pile of veg (broccoli and courgette cos I forgot to buy cauli!) covered by the sauce and thought I’m never going to enjoy those veg, but I am enjoying it sooooooo much. And the kids have got it too,all with pork steaks on the side. Yum, and thanks.
carrie-Hurrah for cheese sauce to make all veggies fabulous!! :-D
ggtexs -Carrie, is this whole milk you are using? just checking cause I only have 2% for the kiddos in the fridge…
Ggtexs -One last question! I can’t find garbanzo bean flower anywhere!!!! what can i use instead?
carrie-Ggtexs – chick pea flour or ground chick peas = garbanzo bean flour. You can also use coconut flour.
Kevin Burnham -Lovin the Cauliflower Cheese Carrie like you im a brit but still in country and have loved this since i was a kid. Ive used rice flour(insane) and thought coconut or almond flour be good have you tried them as thickeners. Would you need to make them like a roux frying flour with the butter then adding the milk slowly or is that just for the old style wheat flour.
By the way i love the outer leaves of the Cauli chopped into smaller scices and steamed with the rest also lovely adding carrot to the dish and for a real treat( and to keep Jonathan happy ( surely the cheese counts for some protein) i add crispy bacon into the cheese sauce and ALWAYS ALWAYS in add slices of tomato right along the centre line of the top of the sauce laden flowers then add the grated cheese on top and brown under the grill to finish….delish!!!!!!
Kev
PS we get Cathedral City lower fat cheese here which is fantastic for browning up when grilled works better than real cheddar parmesan etc .. Worth knowing must be the higher protein profile …
carrie-I love this, Kevin!!! I should do a Cauliflower Cheese 2.0 post – Kev’s Cauliflower Cheese Supreme :-) Coconut flour will work, almond flour not. No need to make a roux as it does not need to be cooked like wheat / corn flour. yes, the cheese will add a *little* protein, but really you’re just adding more carbs. Love the whole bacon and tomato deal!! Can you send me a picture next time you make it? I expect the low-fat cheese browning thing is more to do with higher sugar profile, but I’d have to read the label to know. Great to have you here!
Kevin -Thx Carrie will take a shot of next bake. Coconut flour it is too. My son Tom showed me a good idea for the sauce he made for roast leeks with dinner lat night. He simmered flax/linseeds in the milk with juniper berries for flavour too then strained and it makes it really velvety. You only then need a tiny amount of your flower to bolster it and less cheese or the same but it has more flavour. Apparently its the protien in the flax ( he is a 19 yr old chemistry student who loved Heston B so he would know) may try this too
Also i forgot we always add english mustard to the sauce adds a great back note.
Keep up the gtreat work Carrie flours and gum bought start baking some of your stuff soon when decorating done
Goodness me. What a week, people. It has rained non-stop in Seattle for the past – at least – seven days, but we’re not complaining in the slightest; because people were dying over East as Storm Sandy rolled on up and over clusters of islands and huge swathes of land. Unbelievable scenes of devastation and chaos – Mother Nature unleashing all her fury. A terribly sad week for so many people.
I am having my own personal perfect storm this week. Utterly trivial and completely inconsequential compared to the suffering on the other side of America, but I still have to face the waves and hope that I don’t sink on the journey. Not that any of it is bad – it’s almost all entirely wonderful – there’s just a lot of it, and it’s barreling down on me all at once.
First, stuff I made and ate and wrote about, in case you missed them. You may notice there’s not as much as usual. Let me explain once you’ve taken a gander at what I did manage to produce.
Of course, the Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies got the most votes when I asked which recipe you had to have first. I can understand that. Who would want Hot & Nutty Cereal when you can have taste-bud defying chocolate-y cookies to scarf down with your coffee? Those deep brown little discs of deliciousness that you maybe thought you’d never have again without beating yourself up mercilessly over for days afterwards.
I have to tell you, though, the Hot & Nutty Cereal totally blew my skirt up after I made the first batch on Saturday morning. I’ve had 4 bowls already, and it’s only Sunday night. And then there were the Smoked Salmon Baked Eggs, which I made last weekend but managed a big fat fail on the photographing thereof, so I had to do a re-run. My mouth was not disappointed. I am always happy to down some smoked salmon and eggs – pretty much however they’re cooked. I also finally conjured up Creamy Peanut Butter Mousse – after the sheer frustration of major meringue fail involving 6 batches of collapsing egg whites. There’s no picture yet because it had to loll in the ‘fridge overnight so I could see if it behaves how I need it to, before I commit it to pixels. I don’t want you to get all excited if it doesn’t actually work. That would be cruel.
Life can be cruel, sometimes. A year ago today I lost my beloved bundle of soft, fluffy love: Chiko. I wasn’t ready then, and I am still not ready now. I remain heartbroken. Once again, my body’s ability to produce what feels like rivers full of tears amazes me. I am not sure how you can cry that much, not take in any extra liquid, and yet not crumble into a pile of flakes. This sad anniversary had the potential to cause other chaos for my body, aside from losing gallons of moisture. Last year, on the day he died, I must have consumed over 4000 calories in the space of 6 hours – 96% of them in the form of starchy and sugary carbohydrates. There were a dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and at least too huge Salted Caramel Hot Chocolates in there. Emotional eating at it’s finest. This year was an entirely different tale. Mainly due to Bailor and his *SANEity having changed the way my body responds to stress; and partly due to Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies. Having 4 bowls of comfort-inducing Hot & Nutty Cereal worked wonders, too.
They say good stuff comes in threes. Indeed, the good stuff galloping towards me – preventing me from cooking and posting very much for you last week – is a trifecta of goodness this week.
Today the demolition of my kitchen begins. Excited? I. AM. SO. EXCITED!!!! An extra 80 sq.ft of creative workspace. More cooking, more light, more space, more time, more peace. Less frustration, less running up and down stairs, less burning stuff in the oven, less chaos. YAY!
I’ll miss all the love notes that friends started graffiti-ing on my walls a month ago though. It’s the little things. Getting ready for the big day involved rerouting all the kitchen gear stashed in The Toy Cupboard – aka the pantry – and generally creating lots of cluttery chaos across the kitchen. I can live with any amount of disruption short-term for something this exciting. I can’t wait to have my shooting and writing space opening onto my cooking and eating space.
Wednesday evening my new art show, “Color! Color! Color!” opens in downtown Seattle, when those fabulous folks at Mode throw a reception for me. There will be lots of other fun stuff going on too. If you’re in Seattle I’d love to meet you in person. I’ll be the blonde chick hiding behind the big green plant in the corner. Given that an art show requires art, Friday was consumed with matting all the images and hand-delivering them downtown. I am so very thankful for Michelle and Stu totally rocking the art hanging duties today while I smashed down walls at Marmalade HQ kitchen.
The rest of what would normally be my recipe-making, shooting and posting time was eaten up by a fabulous project that I am working on with Bailor, the deadline for which suddenly moved from January to the third week of November. Eeeek! All hands on deck. All fingers to the keyboard. Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.
If I can navigate through the rest of this week unscathed, and with The Big Three projects intact, I’ll be back in the kitchen at the weekend, merrily whipping up some new grub to help keep you on the path to SANEity. Hurrah! In the meantime, imagine a big “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” sign at the top of this blog.
Other things that happened last week include getting my first photo-enforced speeding ticket, having the most visitors to my little blogette in a single day (thank you!), grabbing a lovely 15 minutes with a favorite ex-boss, not falling over on my a** while carrying coffee and making a big mess all over, and getting a fright at the office when I glanced at the clock on my PC to see 9:24 pm…until I realized I had my time zone set to Beijing and it was 9:24 am there. I went to the grocery store; unfortunately my shopping list decided to stay home. I reminded myself that it is not advisable to get your F’s and C’s muddled up when baking.
Once again I ran my dishwasher more times in one weekend than should be legal for a single girl to do, lost a cat to a box that arrived containing FAR. TOO. MANY. packing peanuts which proceeded to explode all over the lounge, had an awesome lunch with an awesome friend, got some huge hugs from the chaps and chapesses down at Mode, decided that from now on I only taking criticism seriously when it comes from someone that I admire, and got an extra hour of sleep when we turned our clocks back. I seriously needed an extra hour this week - THANKS Daylight Savings, you’re a life saver.
To top it all off, I dreamed big and smiled wide, despite the realization that no matter how awesome life gets, no matter how profoundly grateful I am for all the amazing people and all the goodness that surrounds me, underneath it all, the pain of some things just never ends.
Finally, as usual, The Bailinator and I were in the studio recording another fun, and informative podcast.
Stuff I made and ate and will write about in the coming couple weeks. You mentioned that you like a preview to the movie. I aim to please.
Hot & Nutty Cereal
Smoked Salmon Baked Eggs
Leek and Pear Soup
Cauliflower Cheese
Cheesy Pea Shoot Scramble
Brussel Sprouts with Leek and Poppy Seeds
Spiced Cauliflower Soup
Before I head back to my crazy week, I wanted to let you know that there isn’t too much that I read online that moves me to tears. This did.
Also, I am not much of a Tweeter. I get confused with all the conversations, and abbreviations and Twitterese and usually have to run away after about 3 ¼ minutes. However, my favorite tweet of the week was from @CatFoodBreath: “Don’t stand in the eggs. Don’t lick the toast. No tail in the coffee. Don’t steal the bacon. You people are very cranky during brunch.”
You want to be *SANE, but you still want to eat cookies every once in a while. You love how being *SANE makes you feel, but you miss chocolate. Fret no more, lovely readers. You shall have cookies and chocolate and *SANEity all at the same time.
I give you Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies.
Now, just don’t go crazy. I’m being serious here. They may have no flour, no grains, no sugar and no unhealthy oils or fats, but if you are new to Xylitol / Erythritol you may need to build up to eating it gradually. A few people experience a little – how shall we say this? – a little intestinal disturbance at first. We don’t want that. So go easy until you know it doesn’t affect you, or if it does, build up gradually. You should get over it quickly with continued use. The benefits of Xylitol, apart from replacing that nasty, nasty sugar are wild and wonderful. They include:
Safe for Diabetics
Helps prevent cavities
Helps prevent ear infections
Slows the growth of candida
May improve bone density
Helps tooth enamel & strength
Increases white blood cell activity
Prevents Streptococcus mutants in newborns
May help with allergies & sinus infections
May lower risk of ovarian cysts
Lots of good stuff! You can get the full scoop here.
Anyway, I digress. Back to the cookies, which I am certain is all you really care about right now.
I also want to point out that I think the texture could use a little work, so I’ll be updating this recipe once I’ve done that. Since the flavor is fabulous, I figured Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies 1.0 were good enoughto keep you going, rather than making you wait another week for a perfect version. I hope you think that was the right decision.
I’ll be quiet now so you can just get on with the whole baking part.
300g Xylitol or Erythritol (NOT Stevia or similar)
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ tsp instant espresso powder
Instructions
Pre-heat over to 325 F.
Place chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Stir occasionally until the two are completely melted together.
Leave to cool.
In a bowl, using a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer) beat the eggs, Xylitol / Erythritol, vanilla and espresso powder together on high for about 5 minutes until the mixture is pale and thick.
Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture until evenly mixed.
Stir in the almond flour, baking powder, xanthum gum and salt until completely mixed. It will start to stiffen as you mix it.
Leave the cookie dough aside while you line baking sheets with aluminum foil.
The mixture will stiffen. When it is stiff enough to handle, using your hands, roll dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball.
Place the balls on the lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart, and flatten the balls until they are about 2½ inches across.
Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 10 – 12 minutes, turning half way through the baking time. They will look dry, but will be still be soft in the center when they are done.
Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheet for 10 minutes until the foil and cookies are cool enough to touch.
Lift the edge of the foil up and over with one hand so that you can peel it away from the cookies as they fall into your other hand.
These are rather more fragile than regular cookies, so this method means you will get the cookies off successfully.
Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
You cannot use Stevia to replace the Xylitol or Erythritol because you need the bulk and it’s other properties, not just the sweetening effect.
When we say these are *SANE, what we really mean in this instance is that they do not contain any sugars, starches, grains or unhealthy oils. They do not provide a huge amount of protein, fiber or water which is what makes a food truly SANE. They do provide healthy fats, some fiber & the other nutrients that almonds bring to the table. So, enjoy these as a treat, but not to the detriment of your day dose of *SANE protein, fiber and water.
Baking spree « Lipomachia-[...] (no, really, are you ready for this?) (seriously, you’d better be sitting down or something): Dark chocolate espresso cookies!!! Mine looked more like microwave turds than the beautiful creations on Carrie’s blog, so I [...]
Claire Lucas -Hi Carrie, coming from the UK, is almond flour the same as ground almonds?? I seem to be getting wildly different results when I search online :) Also, whats the difference between guar gum and xanthum gum??
carrie-Yes, Claire – almond flour = ground almonds in UK. Guar is used mainly for cold applications while xanthan for hot, but they can be used interchangeably if necessary. Hope that helps! THANKS for your support – hugely appreicated!
Claire Lucas -Thanks Carrie, that helps enormously! I will be baking these tonight, along with the cheese scones – can’t wait!! Tried the quiche cups last night – yum, yum, yum. An amazing, sane, portable lunch – thanks Carrie, you’re amazing :)))
Lilly -Carrie, you’ve outdone yourself again! These are so rich and heavenly. I ate one while it was still warm and it had the taste and texture of a decadent gooey brownie :)
I just have one question. This is the second cookie recipe that I’ve made, and both times the recipe calls for the better part of a $10 bag of xylitol. I know in a recent podcast you mentioned that you had purchased a 50 lb bag of xylitol. Just wondering where you found it? I don’t need 50 lbs, but I could certainly save some money by purchasing a 5 or 10 lb bag.
Thanks for sharing, your recipes help me stay SANE!
Claire Lucas -Hi carrie, another question for you – can these be frozen? If I make a whole batch we eat the lot!!!
carrie-Hi Claire! I have not tried freezing them – I took 2 batches to the office and poof! they were gone…so I would pop one in a baggie and sling it in the freezer overnight and see how it fares. I cannot see any reason why they wouldn’t freeze perfectly – I mean, I keep my alomond flour in the freezer. Update us?!
Claire Lucas -I will!! I’ll be making more this week so will give it a try.
If You Were Wondering » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts-[...] heading into cookie *inSANEity – NOW YOU DON’T HAVE TO. What with these and the Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies, you’re set. These dreamy almond cookies are slightly dense, moist, and chewy in the [...]
Claire Lucas -They certainly freeze beautifully, it even seemer to enhance the espresso flavour. Yum, yum, yum, you’re keeping me SANE and away from the mid afternoon energy slump!!
carrie-YAY! Thanks for being our freezer tester, Claire!
Veronica -Hi Carrie, Thank you for these wonderful recipe(s) and for being a part of the podcasts too. I love listening to how you’ve lost your muffin top…inspiring me to keep at it, even though my size hasn’t yet changed. I’m looking forward to giving this recipe a go….but can I use cocoa instead of unsweetened chocolate? There’s a big price difference, 180g of 100% chocolate is £5.99 here in the UK, about half that for cocoa. Thanks Carrie! Cheers, Veronica
carrie-Hi Veronica – I fear it will not work the same if you substitue chocolate for cocoa powder :-( I would have to change the recipe to accomodate a change like that and I will do that, but it is unlikely to be very soon as I have such a long list of requests. I hugely appreciate your kind words and support.
Marlys -Carrie, I’m a newbie here but excited to try your recipe. Just to clarify is the unsweetened chocolate 100% cocoa in powder form? Or am I looking for a bar that is 100% unsweetened chocolate? Thanks!
carrie-Hi Marlys – the chocolate I used is Ghiradelli 100% unsweetened chocolate, NOT cocoa powder.
Marlys -Wow Carrie! I just had to follow up after making my first batch and discovering what xylitol and xanthum gum are all about. These are truly amazing. Mine did not turn out as flat and pretty as yours but rather kept their ball shape for the most part. The dough was pretty stiff after I mixed in the xanthum gum and dry ingredients, but I can adjust next time. They were moist and rich and so flavorful and I’ve popped half in the freezer so I can enjoy a few later too. Thanks! :)
carrie-Marlys – it’s not the easiest dough to handle but glad that you loved them! Impressed that you got some into the freezer!!
Julie -I’m very excited about these – in fact they are in the oven right this very moment. But I’m a little baffled. I went to pull them out at 12 minutes (after turning half way) and they not only did not look dry, they were very shiny and very much not cooked. I’m now on minute 18 and trying to decide at what point to pull them out of the oven. I made cheesy scones again tonight and those always take ~14 min instead of 8-10 to brown up. (another story about the scones is that while amazing, mine never rise like yours do) I just bought a little oven thermometer from sur la table and my oven temp is pretty spot on. Any ideas? Thanks!!!
Julie -Ok, finally decided to take them out at minute 20, and holy cow are they good! We couldn’t wait for them to cool completely to try them. Knocked my socks off!
carrie-Yay for socks being knocked off, Julie! :-)
carrie-Julie – I am perplexed. My immediate response would have been that your oven temp is off…but then you foiled that argument :-( Can you email me with ANY changes at all you made to the ingredients or method?
Yesterday, I ran over my toe with a 64-gallon garbage can that was stuffed to the gills. Not only did I lose the toenail polish in the smack-down, but it still hurts this morning; to top it all off, it is turning a rather fetching shade of purple. That is, it would be fetching if it wasn’t on a toe. I am also suffering the after effects of eating more cauliflower than a girl should ever consume in a single sitting. I blame the cheese sauce.
Today, I have just three words for you: smoked, and salmon and leeks. It’s very important that you remember them, because they are your passport to having a splendid dinner tonight. I couldn’t let my sore toe get in the way of sharing this with you, so I limped all the way up the stairs to type it up especially. I will be extraordinarily excited when my kitchen demolition gets under way on Monday(YAY!!) because then I won’t have to limp very far in order to talk to you. I am taking a few walls out, destroying my pantry, and whipping out a bathroom. It’ll open up a whole new creative space in my kitchen. And, maybe more importantly, it will eliminate me having to run up and down stairs all day long, will make it less likely that the house will catch fire when I forget I left something cooking in the oven, and will inspire me to purge stuff that I really don’t need. Rather like I am purging the fat from my body. I like that. Purging is good.
This recipe, which is as simple as can possibly be, came from one of those “What do I have in the ‘fridge?” moments. I am not sure why I plonked pea shoots in my cart during my Thursday evening dash around Trader Joe’s, but boy oh boy, am I ever glad I did. I wasn’t the least bit sure how pea shoots would respond to a little heat, but I had to try. I am always up for a little living on the edge. Especially if it also involves smoked salmon.
I should probably clarify “smoked salmon” for the purposes of this recipe. I am referring to Scottish smoked salmon, which in the US is referred to as “Lox” and typically served on a bagel with cream cheese. Those ultra thin slices of salmon, smoked until they are deep orange and semi-translucent. I did not use American-style smoked salmon which is a salmon fillet smoked until it is cooked.
The most complicated bit is slicing the leeks. Or, in my case it was finding the chopping board since my kitchen is in complete pre-demolition dis-array. The longest bit – if you can call 3 minutes long – is sautéing the leeks. What you have, though, at the end of 5 or so minutes on your feet at the stove is a real lip-smacker of a one-dish dinner. Fast and furious, filling and fun.
To me this looks like Spring, which is why it’s especially awesome to eat it in Fall. Those bright green pea shoots remind me that really Spring is not so far away, especially when the time in-between now and then is punctuated with several holidays and an extravagant amount of busyness. Being that you can make a plate of super-SANE goodness in 10 minutes flat can only help with giving you more time for all the fun and craziness of the coming season.
Well, it’s time I’m limped back off to the kitchen to see if I can locate the blender for tomorrow morning’s smoothie.
Susie -Looks delish!!! I’m not familiar with pea shoots. I would imagine they’d be available in the spring. I suppose a good substitute would be bean sprouts.
carrie-Not sure where you are located Susie – I found them in Trader Joe’s but have not seen them everywhere. They look like huge pieces of cress, and are very different to bean sprouts, however, I think bean sprouts would work successfully in this recipe if you wanted to give it a try. Let me know how it goes!
by carrie
Cowgirl Rae - I’m going to try this for my DH, he is Canadian and LOVES Bobs Red Mill thick rolled oats cooked thick to stand up a spoon and chock full of flax and raisins. He is trying hard to forgo the oats but misses them. He may find this tolerable. I think he’d prefer a little texture so I will coarse grind it, more of a chop.
Thanks again for a creative solution.
To make it a bit more instant one could add vanilla powder?
carrie - Vanilla powder is a great idea – I have never used it – so will check it out. As always read the ingredients :-) I ground mine course too – I like texture in my porridge – otherwise it’s like a seed smoothie!
Kayla McColl - What an excellent idea Carrie!! It looks divine! BTW, I love your voice and attitude on the show- how you are always “reeling in” Jonathan. haha! It’s so enjoyable to listen to! Thank you for sharing your blog, stories, recipes and the podcast :)
carrie - That boy is such a problem ;-) Thanks for your kind words – you make it all worthwhile.
Kyle - I used Vega plant-based vanilla protein powder and part hazelnut meal, part almond meal and added chopped hazelnuts, golden raisins, and blackberries at the end. Was much uglier than yours, but still delicious. I no longer miss Kashi vanilla oatmeal! Next time I’m going to use my vanilla chai protein powder! From one bacon lover to another, this is a great alternative to eggs for breakfast. . Thank you!
carrie - Oh I love hazelnuts! I’ll have to try that :-) I love eggs, but for me there’s nothing quite like a steaming bowl of porridge on a cold morning. PS. Bacon lovers unite!
Shawna - Another home-run. This is very filling and VERY tasty. And I love that you can make it ahead of time for a really quick breakfast. I don’t know what xylitol is or where to buy it…imagine in the sweetener section? But I’ve been using Torani sugar-free syrups (the stuff they use in coffee/espresso)in my tea, hot cereals, yogurt, and occasionally on squash. I used the vanilla version in this. It’s sweetened with Splenda, so I assume it’s safe to use in a mostly SANE diet?
carrie - Shawna – Xylitol goes by brand name of Xyla. It will be in the sweetener section if stocked. I buy online in bulk because I use so much in recipe testing. Splenda is fine, so thumbs up on the Torani!
Heather Carson - Carrie, THANK YOU!! I just ate your porridge for the first time and it was fantastic!!
I so missed my oatmeal but not today. I didn’t even add the sweetener. I am going to make up the 10 servings above as I plan on eating this often.
-Heath
Cowgirl Rae - I made this for DH, I chopped the sunflower seeds coarsely and used raw flaked coconut and added 2T psyllium powder. For DH benefit I added 2T of thick rolled oats (he needed to SEE the value of it) He tasted it and said he would eat it. This is a LOOOOONG time oats eater and he misses his oats and flax.
Thanks for the recipe.
carrie - YAY!!!! Love it, Heather! This totally makes me not miss oatmeal too :-)
carrie - Awesome job, Rae!!!
Sarah - Fantastic recipe, Carrie. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just ate this, and I am looking forward to having many more bowls of this in my future.
Alison - Thanks carrie love this recipe have made it with choclate whey protien delicious and added little greek yogurt also works well with strawberry whey protein . Looking forward to trying other recipes from your site.
carrie - YAY! Thanks so much for the feedbasck, Alison! I’ll have to try the chocolate whey – YUM :-)
carrie - Oh I am so glad you love it, Sarah! THANK YOU for your support :-) Did you make the big “instant” batch? I love a hot 15 second breakfast!!
Susan - Carrie, This recipe has been exactly what I needed to get over my need for oatmeal! As I am 1/2 British, I have seriously been missing my oatmeal with warm milk. This is great and I use warm unsweetened almond milk poured over it!
THANK YOU!
carrie - YAY!! Porridge lovers unite!!!
Bob - I’m going to have to try this. I made it through the Summer pretty well without missing my Scottish Oatmeal too much, but now that Fall has rolled around I’m jonesing for it.
I find breakfast so difficult because it has to be satisfying and fast. I get sick of eggs and just don’t like yoghurt for breakfast. The strangest thing is that I’ve found stir-fried vegetables with ham, a little fish sauce, Siracha and soy sauce makes an excellent breakfast, but not everyday.
carrie - Bob – have you tried mixing flavored whey powder into yoghurt? I find that helps me a lot – and then I eat it with the granola recipe I posted. It’s fast and very filling. I love your ham and veggie breakfast!
Sarah - One of my favorite things about this recipe is its ease of travel. I mixed up enough of the instant mix (everything but the water and vanilla)for two breakfasts and packed it for a 2 day trip to the in-laws. My in-laws try to eat healthy, so of course they offered us a bevy of carb-heavy, sugar-heavy breakfast options (bagels, muffins, pastries, cereal, muffins, and yogurt/granola parfaits). So glad to have this SANE cereal instead! Thanks for helping me make my Thanksgiving SANEr, Carrie!
carrie - Sarah – do you have any idea how happy your comment makes me??!!! I travel a lot and breakfasts can be really hard on the road. Since I drive most everywhere I usually end up taking my blender with me so I can make smoothies! When I can’t do that though, this and the SANE granola are total lifesavers. Happy, happy Thanksgiving!!
The Journey begins with me - Page 209 | Mark's Daily Apple Health and Fitness Forum page 209 - [...] [...]
Janknitz - LOVE this, but OMG, Carrie. I was making the large recipe, going along adding 10 tbsp of this and 20 tbsp of that. I was on autopilot, so instead of adding 10 TEAspoons of cinnamon (I don’t like pumpkin pie spice) I added 10 TABLEspoons. OY!
I had to go out and buy more ingredient$ so I can add 2/3 more of the other inngredients to make the proportions right. This is turning into very expensive cereal, but I think I’ll have a lifetime supply. It’s yummy, so that’s a good thing! LOL!
Two thoughts:
1. If the protein powder is sweetened you may not need to add any more sweetener (I surely don’t!).
2. This is a GREAT travel breakfast idea! All you need to do is add hot water, easy to carry and you are always assured of a SANE breakfast when traveling. I plan to also pack some boxes of whipping cream (Trader Joe’s) to add to my coffee and a little on the cereal. I’m good to go. (Cream for a road trip, wouldn’t work in carry-on luggage if flying because of TSA rules but you could put it in checked luggage).
carrie - Janknitz – you made me LOL. OY, indeed!!!! Make sure you are using a SANE whey powder. The one JB and I use has 1g of sugar per scoop. You are right, it is a fabulous travel companion!
Catherine - Hi Carrie, BIG fan of the show and I’m lovin your recipes. This one I just made and it is Delicious!! Thanks for everything you do and keep the recipes comin!! :D
carrie - THANK YOU, Catherine! Your note makes it all worth while.
Dolores - Carrie, We come from the land down under. My husband loves oatmeal (no doubt due to his English ancestry), and really enjoyed this but we didn’t have any Vanilla Whey, so we substituted Chocolate Whey, it tasted really yummy. Ever inventive he put cold water in his and popped it in the microwave until it puffed up like oatmeal. A great success.
carrie - Hi Delores! Thanks for stopping by! We Brits do love our porridge :-) Glad that you loved it, and love your little tweaks to make it fit with your lifestyle. Feedback always appreciated!
ladyp1234 - I made this morning, and have just finished the second half now. I enjoyed it so thanks v much for incorporating all that goodness. Any ideas for how to get veg portions in alongside? Nothing from the veg drawer appealedto me….
Tracy - this was delicious. I just made it this morning and it tastes just like cream of wheat to me. next time, I think I will put cocoa in it and make it cocoa wheats. thanks!
tracy - very filling too. good for a winter morning or any summer day in England. lol
carrie - Hi Pen – when I eat this for breakfast, it’s pretty much all I can manage, so on “porridge” days I make sure I get extra veggies at lunch and dinner. I look at the day as a whole when figuring out the balance of veggies / protein etc, not each meal individually, because I just find that easier to manage and less daunting.
carrie - Great idea, Tracy!
Top 10 SANE Recipes of 2012 » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts - [...] 2. Hot and Nutty Cereal [...]
Jennie Tod - Hi Carrie, love this recipe. As it is summer in Oz, I have been having it mixed with cold green tea and blueberries. I don’t add any sweetner or cinnamon but use chocolate protein powder. A fast and enjoyable breakfast before work.
carrie - Great use of Green Tea, Jennie!!
lorrie - Okay I’ve always despised any type of oatmeal, however since I’m always reading through everything out here, these ideas sound amazing!! I’ll be trying a few this weekend. Thank you all for your ideas hmm I might have to try some now these made me hungry :-D
Mel - Loving your blog and even more the podcasts, this recipe sounds great , after thinking oats ere good on a clean diet ( I soak mine overnight …. Half a cup oats to 1 cup of water, and a tbs of nay yog, its supposed to release something?? Any way I want to try this but don’t have a grinder??? I have a kmix blender and a rather crappy but ok processor is that ok. Don’t fancy pestle and mortar!! Ha ha
carrie - Thanks, Mel! Your food processor should work, it just may not grind as fine though. Oats are not good :-(
carrie - Lorrie – I’ll make an “oatmeal” lover of you yet!
Lorrie - My hubby now prefers this over oatmeal. I made a huge batch of it last week and we are now out and he requested more! Success.
carrie - Love this, Lorrie! YAY!
NM - What’s the weight or volume of “a scoop”? :-)
carrie - Great question, Nick! I thought I had gone back and updated all the recipes with an equivalent in cups, but I missed this one, sorry about that. 1 scoop = 1/3 cup. I will also weigh it and add a weight. Hope that helps!
Diana - I am making up my third batch of this right now, in industrial quantities. :-). My 4-year-old asks for this for breakfast now and even my husband grudgingly tried some and ate the whole bowl. We make it with plain whey powder and no sweetener and add fruit and creme fraiche. Heavenly!
carrie - Diana – love, love, love!!
Tips And Tricks for Staying SANE On The Road » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts - [...] – if you have flasks of hot water with you, take small, lidded containers with this hot cereal mix in it and mix up with hot water at a rest stop. It’s really nice to have something warm to [...]
Matilda - I can’t believe I haven’t posted my thoughts on this recipe.
Another winner with this one Carrie. It’s so filling! I love it.
I love it even more with warm milk, or warm coconut milk, just like hot porridge. So very good. I didn’t need the extra sweetness or the essence as I loved the flavours just as they are.
Will so be making this one in bulk!
carrie - Oh Matilda – I love how excited you get about everything!! :-) I do love this cereal. And it is SO easy if you make it in bulk. Scoop, scoop, stir, done!
Barbra - Another fabulous recipe Carrie!! I have been enjoying this – a great replacement for the oatmeal I’ve been missing. I need to try Matilda’s suggestion to use coconut milk. Today I added some egg white and cooked it up as a pancake with a few strawberry slices on top – super yummy :)