Porridge with a TWIST!

Who really likes eating porridge for breakfast?  I know my daughter doesn't...and when I was a little girl, I didn't either!  My parents had a hand grinder and used it to roughly cut up the wheat (yes, I am from a line of health nuts...no sugary cereal served in our family).  They would then boil it and serve it up for breakfast....we could add honey and milk, but really...NOT EXCITING.  I like to change up what I eat...almost daily.  I couldn't eat the same bowl of porridge every day.  Way too boring.  So this is what I do.....

I use left over cooked brown rice and quinoa (from dinner the night before) and put it in the pot with water and a dash of sea salt. 
Then I add all sorts of fun stuff....like:
-raisins, pecans, coconut
-cashews, peaches, cinnamon
-pureed pumpkin, pecans, pumpkin pie spice
-apples, almonds, coconut
-cranberries, o.j., cinnamon

The possibilities are endless! 

I then bring it to a boil and add dry rolled oats, reduce the heat and cook as directed.

Once served, I let the kids add almond milk, pure maple syrup or honey....to their desired taste.  We all enjoy the porridge way more, now that there are fun flavours included!

Up until recently, making porridge hasn't had much to do with our OmniBlend blender....That is, until my littlest guy started picking out the nuts and fruit...which ever happens to be bothering him that morning.  SO, naturally I had to figure out a way to get all the goodness in him without him knowing.  I should also mention that he has been too old for "baby food" for quite some time and he likes the texture of grains in the porridge (and soups) so I wasn't about to put the porridge in the blender...I just had to figure out a way to get the nuts and fruit hidden.  This is what I did; I cooked the porridge in the usual way, but without the fruit and nuts.  I used my OnmiBlend blender to puree the raw fruits and nuts, and then poured them over the cooked cereal, added a little maple syrup and saved myself a few servings of the "store bought" almond milk.  My little guy didn't even notice....AWESOME!

apple & almond porridge

puree the apple (quartered) with rinsed almonds (soaked in water over night) and some water

60 sec. brings it quite smooth for almonds...same texture as a Chinese Almond Desert

mmmm...delicious with a little maple syrup!

Enjoy!

Amber

Mayo

Making mayonnaise in the OmniBlend blender was actually quite easy.  I read a few recipes and they all seemed to have the same basic ingredients....egg, oil, vinegar or lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper to taste.  Of course there are a bunch of herbs and spices that you can add for flavour and fun!  What I did learn, and I found quite interesting is a few tips that helped make our first try in the blender a success!

tips:

• use room temperature ingredients
• lemon juice can be substituted with vinegar ( I have used apple cider vinegar and white vinegar...just use a little less vinegar than lemon juice)
• mix the egg with all of the ingredients (except the oil) on low for a few seconds before pouring in the oil
• have your oil ready to pour before turning on the blender.
• pour the oil in SLOWLY...taking almost 60 seconds
• season with herbs at the end
• use an oil with a mild flavour.  I like part of it to be olive oil, but the flavour is a bit stronger.

mayo recipe:

-3 eggs

-1 1/4 teaspoons dry mustard (or Dijon mustard stirred in after mayo is made) both are optional

-1 1/2 teaspoons salt

-1/4 cup lemon juice or vinegar

-1 3/4 cups canola oil

Place eggs, mustard, salt, and lemon juice or vinegar into the OmniBlend container. Use the Low setting for about 10 seconds.  Then turn to High.  While machine is running, remove the lid plug and pour in oil in a thin, steady stream until completely used and mixture thickens (just under 60 seconds).  Stop machine and stir in any oil sitting on top. Spoon mayo into a separate container (mix your herbs and spices into the mayo, as desired). Refrigerate and use within 2-4 weeks. ENJOY! Amber