Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic!

Oatmeal is one of the more under-appreciated breakfast foods. Sure, pancakes are great and bacon is sublime. But what about the unsung, fiber and protein rich hero of the breakfast table? It's healthy and you feel full and ready for the day after eating it.

It is perfect for colder mornings when you want something nice and hot in your stomach. When I woke up one morning few weeks ago, oatmeal was the only thing I wanted to eat.

The only problem was that I had no oats. I did have bulgur wheat, though, and after a little searching online, I found this Martha Stewart recipe for bulgur wheat porridge that I adapted.

I  added a dash of organic maple syrup, some brown sugar, and a diced apple to make a yummy porridge that certainly satisfied my oatmeal cravings.


Ingredients: (makes 1 serving)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 bulgur wheat
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon organic maple syrup (un-organic would work too, but why eat artificial ingredients when you don't have to?)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 of an apple, diced

1. Combine the milk, water, bulgur wheat, salt, and apple in a medium saucepan over medium heat.


2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let mixture simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the bulgur wheat and apple have softened and porridge is desired consistency.

3. Add in maple syrup and brown sugar.

4. Serve and enjoy!



Some additional notes:

1. You could also use cinnamon and nutmeg instead of the maple syrup, which also is very good. Add in 1/2 teaspoon of each in step 3 instead of the maple syrup.

2. If you don't stir frequently, the milk can form a thin filmy skin on top. If this happens, it should go away when you stir again. If not, you can use a whisk to break it apart and reincorporate the milk into the porridge.

3. Martha Stewart recommends putting raisins and strawberries in her recipe. As I don't like them, I tried cranberries one time I made this, and it was super tasty. Add in a handful of dried cranberries in step 1. Because cranberries are tart, you may find that the porridge is also more tart. Adding a little more of either brown sugar or maple syrup can help temper the sourness.

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