Porridge – Oat Cream! Simple and fast, 3 easy Steps!

This suggestion that we give you today, Porridge – cream of oats, is one of our favourite breakfasts for cold winter mornings!

But it’s actually so tasty, it’s a great meal any time of the day.
You can enrich this cream, making it even more nutritious, by adding other ingredients.

Be creative and experiment!

It is likely that you have already heard about Porridge made from oat flakes (we used these flakes in the recipes that we present below) and their excellent nutritional properties, but in fact it is not something that we do not have the habit of introducing in our breakfasts.

To encourage you to try Porridge, find out more about the main properties of whole oats.

Whole oat properties

• Good source of complex carbohydrates, provide long-lasting energy
• Rich in fiber and protein, it helps keep blood sugar levels constant and gives you a greater feeling of satiety.
• The polyunsaturated fats present in oats contribute to lowering bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol
• Set of vitamins (mainly B complex) and minerals important for organic functioning
• Oats also help to warm your body – when you go out in the morning and feel the cold winter air on your face, it feels good to feel the comfort of the internal heat.

Whole Oat Flakes nutritional Values ​

Per 100g:

Energy – 372 kcal
Protein – 13.5g
Carbs – 58.7g
Sugar – 0.7 g
Fats (7g) : Saturated Fats – 1.3g
Fibers – 10 g
Sodium – 0.02 mg

How to make Porridge

Porridge – cream of oats, is very easy and quick to make, but we’ll give you some tips on how to make the whole process even simpler!

1st Step – choose the cereal flakes

ATTENTION! A distinction must be made between:

• Packaged cereal flakes sold in most supermarkets and made from flour containing high amounts of sugar.
• And whole grain flakes, which means the whole grain has simply been pressed, a process that retains its key nutrients, including the bran.

Always opt for whole flakes, organic if possible, as they retain all their properties and do not contain chemicals or preservatives.

We chose fine whole oat flakes as they cook more easily and make a great cream!

Other types of cereal flakes

Traditional English Porridge is made with rolled oats. But oats are a cereal among many other cereals available today, which means that you can also vary your Porridge by using and experimenting with another type of whole grain flakes. The offer is great, you can find:

• Spelled flakes
• Barley flakes
• Rye flakes
• Gluten-free flakes: millet, rice, gluten-free oats, quinoa.

These gluten-free flakes, however, are not naturally so creamy, so if you like a rich and creamy Porridge, we advise you to replace all the liquid. (water and vegetable milk) With vegetable milk with a little more of fat. Soak them (as mentioned below) in this milk before cooking them.

For example: coconut milk, almond, hazelnut, walnuts, oats, and others.

2nd Step – toast and pre-soak the flakes

If you want to reduce the cooking time needed to make the porridge, you can pre-roast and soak the oat flakes.
But if you don’t have time or don’t remember, don’t worry, you can follow the recipe the same way, and it’s also great!

• Weigh the flakes, heat a non-stick frying pan and toast the oat flakes over medium heat, but do not let them start to brown, as they burn quickly! Toast just until you start to smell it.
• Then place the already toasted flakes in a glass bowl with the amount of water that is part of the recipe (200 ml of water) and let it soak for about 2 to 3 hours, or overnight if you are going to make the small oat Porridge lunch.

3rd Step – cook the flakes

Porridge base recipe

Ingredients/person (makes one bowl of Porridge)

• 1/2 cup fine whole oat flakes (about 50 grams)
• 1/2 cup vegetable milk (about 100 ml) – e.g. rice, barley, oats, millet, etc.
• 1 cup of water (about 200 ml)
• 2 lemon or orange peels
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch of whole grain salt
• Possible “Topings” – add to taste and, after cooking, in the bowl

Sweets:

Coconut sugar, or agave or stevia syrup, raisins, goji berries, chopped dates, fruit compote, etc.

* Fresh fruit:

Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, sliced ​​apples or pears, and others

* Salted:

Pumpkin, sunflower, chia, sesame or other seeds, toasted and chopped
Almonds or other nuts, toasted and chopped
Grated coconut
Almond or Peanut Butter (although it makes the Porridge a bit more greasy)

Porridge’s execution

1. Place the flakes with the water where they have been soaking in a pan and also add the vegetable milk (100 ml), the lemon peels and the cinnamon stick. Do not add the salt yet.
2. Place the pan over medium heat until it starts to boil, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon.
3. Lower the heat to a minimum (you can place a diffuser plate under the pan if you want, as this helps to prevent it from sticking to the bottom) and stir regularly from time to time, for 5 minutes.
4. At the end of this time, add the salt, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat, remove the lemon or orange peels and the cinnamon stick, cover and let rest for another 5 minutes.
6. Serve like this, simple, or add now the suggestions of “topings” that we left you.

Porridge’s sweet version

This version is the children’s favourite because it’s sweeter right away!
But if you’re in the mood for a more savoury and sweet snack, don’t hesitate, try this version!

Ingredients/person (makes one bowl of Porridge)

• 1/2 cup fine rolled oats (about 50 grams)
• 1/2 cup vegetable milk (about 100 ml) – e.g. rice, barley, oats, millet, etc.
• 1 cup of natural pear or apple juice (about 200 ml)
• 2 pears or apples, grated on a fine grater
• 2 orange peels
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 pinch of whole grain salt

Porridge’s execution

Follow the same steps as in the base recipe, opting for pear juice if using pears, or apple juice if using apples.
Children love to try various topings, especially the sweet ones, but this Fruit Oat Porridge already has a very pleasant sweet taste.

Give it a try, and share your Porridge recipes too!

* You can find all the ingredients used in this recipe in stores and Bio markets for natural products.