Raw Oatmeal Porridge with Peaches & Strawberries

For the past few months, Steve and I have been eating Raw Oatmeal Porridge for breakfast on the weekends. We crave it! Never heard of cold oatmeal before? It might not sound that appealing but it's really delicious! Before my green smoothie days, this porridge was a staple dish. Might sound crazy, but I used make this for breakfast at my desk when I worked in the office. I used to make such a mess! This is one of those recipes I learned back in culinary school, tweaked a bit to make it healthier and honestly, tastier. It's super easy, super healthy and the toppings are limitless.  Instead of cooking the oatmeal, soak it in coconut milk or nut milk for about 10 minutes until soft. Just like my dad, I never really liked the classic oatmeal porridge, all hot and mushy, pretty much flavorless. It just wasn't something we ate growing up. But now that I've found a different method...aw man, I dig the stuff!! I like it raw! 

Trust me, it's very easy to make! As I mentioned, I used to make this at my desk so it had to be easy! This is how I pulled that off...I measured out a bag of oatmeal, a few cups or so, with cinnamon (maybe 1 tsp), a little sea salt (cause oatmeal needs some flavor) and kept that bag in one of my drawers at my desk. Also stored in my drawer of goodies was honey for tea, almonds or walnuts (for snacks), and I usually had almond milk in the fridge, but you could also just use water to soak the oatmeal. Then every couple of days I brought fresh fruit to work. While the oatmeal was soaking, I cut up the fruit and chopped the nuts (didn't think about buying pre-chopped nuts until now). When the oatmeal was soft and had absorbed the liquid, I added the fruit, nuts, and drizzled honey on top...and cleaned up the huge mess I made. It was fabulous, healthy, filling and quite frankly, everyone wanted some. 

If you're trying to avoid gluten, you can always buy gluten free oatmeal, just make sure it says so on the bag. Oatmeal doesn't contain wheat gluten but most of the time it is processed on the same line as wheat products. Just keep an eye out if you have any sensitivities. Oatmeal is very good for your heart, for lowering cholesterol and for giving you strength and energy throughout the day. When I eat this for breakfast I feel satisfied and grounded.  It's incredibly filling because oats are not stripped of their bran and germ during the hulling process, leaving plenty of fiber and nutrients including manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc.

There is a base to this recipe which is the oatmeal, coconut or nut milk, 1 grated or small diced apple, lemon juice, cinnamon, honey and sea salt. After that, it's up to you! Usually I'll add seasonal fruit, nuts, protein and omega 3's with the help of hemp, chia and flax seeds for even more nutritional punch! The toppings are limitless! You could add cacoa powder to the oatmeal for a chocolaty breakfast (recipe coming soon) with an assortment of berries, nut butters, bananas and walnuts for something special. Get crazy with it! I always encourage tweaking my recipes as you see fit. 

Raw Oatmeal Porridge with Peaches & Strawberries 
Makes 2-3 servings. My toppings vary depending on what I have on hand, but the base of the porridge is usually the same.

Base Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal (gluten free if needed)
1 cup of coconut milk or nut milk
1 small apple grated (I used a Granny Smith apple)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1-2 tbsp of honey
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt

Toppings:
1 cup of sliced strawberries
1-2 peaches sliced
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (or any nut you like)
1 tbsp Flax Seeds
1 tbsp Chia Seeds
1 tbsp Hemp Seeds
Drizzle of honey

1. Using a medium sized bowl, soak the oatmeal in the coconut milk or nut milk for about 8-10 minutes. 
2. While the oatmeal is soaking, grate the small apple on top of oatmeal. Add the juice of the lemon, honey, cinnamon and sea salt on top as well. Don't stir just yet.
3. Slice the strawberries and peaches (or whatever fruit you have). Chop the walnuts and add the fruit and walnuts to the bowl.
4. Stir the contents of the bowl adding the flax, chia and hemp seeds on top with an additional drizzle of honey.

You can eat straight out of the bowl like Steve and I do or serve in individually sized portions. Feel free to add more nuts and honey on top.

This breakfast will keep you full until lunch, no mid-morning hunger pains, I promise.

Enjoy!
K