Porridge and home-made almond milk recipe
One of my favourite breakfasts in the winter time is a warming bowl of porridge. I am studying for a certificate in nutrition and I am very focused on eating food with lots of nutrients. This means adding extra ingredients to many of my meals, such as extra veg to salads and soups (as opposed to having to give things up!). For my porridge I add dried fruit, seeds, fresh fruit and nutmeat. (You may well ask "what is nutmeat" but read on and all will be revealed).
As I have also been trying out some vegan foods I decided to try the porridge with a nut milk. As you know I like to make as much of my food from scratch as possible so I decided to make my own almond milk. I have tried out 2 recipes and you can decide which to use depending on the time you have to prepare it. Remember that almond milk does not have the same nutrients as cow's milk so ensure you take this into account if you make a dietary change.
Porridge
Ingredients
- 40g porridge oats (preferably organic)
- 1 tablespoon of sultanas
- Quarter of an apple, peeled and finely chopped (or if you don't mind the skin, don't bother with peeling it)
- 1 teaspoon of milled linseed
- 1 teaspoon of mixed seeds
- 1 teaspoon of the leftover nutmeat from making the almond milk (see below).
Almond milk recipe 1
Ingredients
- 65g of almonds
- 250ml of water
- Half a teaspoon of maple syrup (optional -but as cow's milk has milk sugar (lactose) you might miss the touch of sweetness)
Almond milk recipe 2
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of almond butter
- 250ml of water
- Half a teaspoon of maple syrup (optional)
Porridge
Instructions
- Measure 40g of porridge into a microwaveable bowl. It needs to be large enough so that if the porridge bubbles up it does not flow over the edge.
- Add the sultanas, milled linseed, seeds, apple and nutmeat.
- Add 250ml of water and stir.
4. Microwave the porridge mixture on high for 3 minutes.
5. Stir and serve with milk.
Almond milk recipe 1
Instructions
- Put 65g of almonds into a jug and add water up to about 400ml mark.
- Leave to soak for 8 hours or overnight.
3. Drain the almonds and give them a rinse.
4. Put the almonds into a food processor or blender and add 250ml of fresh water and half a teaspoon of maple syrup.
5. Blend them for a couple of minutes until the almonds are broken up.
6. Strain the almond/water mixture by pouring it into a muslin bag/strainer over a bowl.
7. You can leave it to drain or you can squeeze the bag tightly to extract the milk.
8. Pour the milk into a clean container and refrigerate.
9. The leftover almonds in the bag (nutmeat) can be added to porridge or added to soup or stews. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze.
Almond milk recipe 2
Instructions
When you don't have time to soak the almonds overnight you can make a speedy version.
- Add 250 ml water to the food processor.
- Add 1 tablespoon of almond butter.
- Add half a teaspoon of maple syrup (optional).
- Blend for about a minute.
- Strain as before. There won't be much left behind in the bag this time. You can also leave this version unstrained, it will just be a bit grittier.