Recipe: Breakfast Porridge (Serves 3-4)

(Recipe taken from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon)

1 cup oats, rolled or cracked
1 cup warm filtered water plus 2 Tbsp whey, plain yoghurt, kefir or buttermilk (Those with milk allergies can use vinegar or lemon juice)
½ tsp sea salt
1 cup filtered water
1 Tbsp (freshly) ground flax seeds (optional)

For the best digestion and highest benefits, porridge should be soaked overnight or even longer. Once soaked, oatmeal cooks in about 5 minutes (that’s a pretty fast food).

Mix oats with 1 cup warm water mixture and soak in a warm place for 7 to 24 hours. When ready to cook, bring 1 cup additional water to a boil with sea salt. Add soaked oats, reduce heat, cover and simmer several minutes. Remove from heat, stir in optional flax and let stand for a few minutes. Add in butter or cream, as well as a small amount of a natural sweetener like maple syrup (not Aunt Jemima), maple sugar, raw honey, date sugar or Rapadura. You can also add apricot butter, chopped nuts (raw nuts, soaked and dehydrated) or dried unsweetened coconut.

Variations: Kamut, Spelt, Rye, Teff, Amaranth
You can try other grains besides oats. Prepare the same way, except Teff and Amaranth need 24 hours of soaking and Rye may need extra soaking and more water.

Some of My Variations
I enjoy adding in some fruit to my oatmeal, some blueberries (fresh or frozen) or some diced apple. Another natural sweetener I’ve tried is apple butter, which goes great with a dash of cinnamon as well. I always add chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts and almonds) because I need some protein in the morning to keep me going.

You may find the taste of the oatmeal a little sour at first because of the soaking (I did), so at the beginning you can add a little more sweetener and try to reduce it gradually. If you are trying to limit sugar in your diet, your taste buds will adapt and your “threshold” of sweetness will be lowered.