Dessert Porridges

I love porridge. Quick, easy, cheap and filling, it's perfect for winters mornings, especially those that are going to be spent trekking through the snow.

It can be a little beige on it's own though, lacking interest and at times tasting of wallpaper paste. You know it! We add Brown Sugar, Berry Coulis and Honey in order to mix it up, but I thought I'd take it one step farther after reading about Carrot Cake Oatmeal (Porridge) at Chef in Disguise. My scaled down version (due to lack of specialty ingredients and 5inches of snow, is at the end of the blog post).

All of these recipes were made from ingredients I already had in the cupboard, but then I keep a lot of frozen fruit as I'm nuts about Smoothies...

I roped hubby into taste testing these with me, and whilst I couldn't decide on my absolute favourite, for hubby it was the Black Forest Porridge.

(I don't normally calorie count my recipes, but though it would be interesting to see just how much the additions add to their totals, and they really aren't too bad).

Each recipe is super simple;

1. Boil 1 cup of the water
2. Add the dry ingredients & fruit
3. Turn the heat down to a simmer, stirring regularly
4. Let simmer for a couple of minutes then stir through the remaining water
5. Simmer, stirring regularly for another 3-4 minutes
6. Remove from the heat, add any toppings/sweeteners, let cool 1-2minutes
7. Enjoy.

We didn't feel the need for additional milk, except maybe to cool it down. You can make several servings and refrigerate until needed. I would only probably keep them  in the fridge for a couple of days though.

I can't really see why these couldn't be made in the microwave as well, I just find that the stove top method makes it uber-creamy.

 Black Forest Porridge

278kcal per serving, 1/2 serving of an adults daily Fruit & Vege
One Serving

1.5c Boiling Water
1/2c Porridge Oats
1 TBSP Dessicated Coconut
Small handful frozen Cherries
1 tsp Cocoa (more to taste)

Once off heat stir through 1 TBSP Light Agave syrup.

Tutti-Frutti Porridge

284kcal per serving, 1.5 serving of an adults daily Fruit & Vege
One Serving

1.5c Boiling Water
1/2c Porridge Oats
4 frozen (1.5cm) cubes Mango (about 1/4 of a fresh one)
1 Chopped Kiwifruit
1/2 small pear cut into small cubes
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

** This is in pole position for my favourite though, the ginger and the citrus made for a deliciously zingy breakfast, so refreshing. And how often can you say that about porridge?

Nectarine Pie Porridge

(Please excuse the terrible photo...)

335kcal, 1.5 serving of an adults daily Fruit & Vege
One Serving

1.5c Boiling Water
1/2c Porridge Oats
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 diced Nectarine
1.5 crushed Walnuts

Once off heat stir through 1 TBSP Light Agave syrup and 1 TBSP Light Cream Cheese

Carrot Cake Porridge

365kcal per serving, 1 serving of an adults daily Fruit & Vege
One Serving

1/2c Porridge Oats
1c Finely Grated (or Grated normally then finely chopped) Carrot
1 TBSP Sultanas
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1.5 crushed Walnuts

Once off heat stir through 1 TBSP Light Agave and 3 tsps Dessicated Coconut.

This actually tastes like Carrot Cake Batter (except without the sugar and butter). Absolutely luscious.

Yummo!! Decadent, and not too bad for the waistline at all. They also happen to fall in with the Breakfast Club and Farmersgirl Kitchen's breakfast linkup, themed Cooked or Baked Breakfast.

Breakfast Club: Because breakfast should be more interesting
than tea & toast or coffee & cereal!

I've got a few more flavours brewing in my head - any suggestions? If only I could do a Sticky Toffee Porridge without blowing the calorie bank.