When a grain is intact (not rolled, not ground, not denuded of valuable nutrition by removing the bran layers or the germ), it can properly nourish us.
However, due to high levels of anti-nutrients or anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) in their bran layers, whole grains can tend to cause some problems for some people eg gut irritation/indigestion type symptoms. All we need to do however, is soak these grains before using, and then decant them and rinse them before cooking. This reduces the levels of anti-nutrients to manageable levels. At these levels, anti-nutrients don't irritate our gut or cause other known problems and now can do their very important job of acting as anti-oxidants and phytonutrients and thus protect us from cancer and other degenerative diseases.
The recipe for this porridge below makes use of these truly whole grains - intact (i.e. not rolled or ground) groats or kernels, containing a wonderful potential to nourish us and protect us (eg protection from colon cancer).
SPICED TRULY WHOLE GRAIN PORRIDGE
This porridge, creamy and satisfying without the need of added milk, butter or cream (although feel free to, if desired) can be made with almost any whole, intact grain. Brown rice and pearl barley are good choices as they are easily available from supermarkets; oat groats are a nice traditional choice but are pricier and less easy to come by. No matter which choice is made, a lovely, creamy oat-like porridge is the result. Feel the difference between eating this and so many other contemporary cereal or porridge choices.
Preparation ahead of time: Soak whole grains overnight/for 8 hrs, then decant, rinse and drain
Prep Time: 2 to 10mins
Cook time: approx. ½ hr (or only a few minutes to reheat if you cooked the grain ahead)
Equipment - Optional: A hand stick-blender/immersion blender is most convenient (but a stand-alone blender will also work)
Ingredients
1 cup dry whole grain, soaked overnight (or for approx 8hrs), then decanted, rinsed and drained. Examples of whole grains: quinoa, millet, pearl barley, oat groats, farro or brown rice.
3 cups water for boiling (approximate amount – depending on how soft you like your porridge)
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Optional extras:
¼ teaspoon ground spice or a couple of whole spices (eg a couple of cinnamon sticks or star anise)
a little butter, cream, coconut cream or coconut oil
Warm stewed fruit in winter or raw fruit in summer
Honey/real maple syrup/truly unrefined sugar: as much as necessary but as little as possible (max: 5ml p/serving) [1]
A little bit of dried fruit of choice (eg cranberries, raisins, currants or sliced up dates)
Method
Place pre-soaked, decanted, rinsed and drained whole grains in a pot with 3 cups of fresh water and salt (and, If using, add the spices, butter, cream or oil) and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook until grains are completely soft and tender (approx. ½ hr).
Can be eaten as is, but if a silky texture is desired: Blend until as smooth and silky as you like it, adding enough water to yield the the creamy consistency you want as porridge.
All this can be done ahead and frozen in individual portions (eg in a muffin pan), so that in the morning all that needs to be done is to heat this ready-to-eat porridge in the microwave.
Serve warm and enjoy with either a little fresh or stewed fruit or unrefined sweetener (eg real maple syrup, raw honey or truly unrefined sugar). [2]
Notes
The more you blend, the silkier (and ‘Jungle Oats-like’) it becomes. Adding enough water facilitates ease of blending.
Increase/decrease water quantity according to taste
For when time is tight: cook a batch of this porridge ahead of time (eg the night before when cooking supper) and freeze in individual portions eg in muffin pans. Once frozen, pop out and store in freezer in a bag – almost as convenient now as Oats-So-Easy, but healthier.
Pair with spices and/or tart fruits (eg berries, apricots, sour apples) for flavour and to support carb metabolism.
Good quality chocolate chips (or the unrefined sweeteners mentioned above) [3] can come in handy for adults and children alike who may be somewhat reluctantly transitioning from a processed diet to a traditional, unprocessed one. Additions such as these can help to sweeten the journey.
It can be said that it is as much work and washing up to make a small batch of food as a big batch, which is why I almost always make double, triple and even quadruple amounts of this recipe and freeze the excess as described above in note 3.
© Dr Karen Morris
Footnotes: [1] Although these sweeteners are unrefined, they are still concentrated, so moderation is important and only use if health permits [2] Ditto [3]Ditto
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