Whole Oats Porridge

whole oat groats in their natural state (above)whole oat groats porridge with cinnamon, nutmeg, toasted pecans and dried cranberries

Porridge made from oats is one of my favorite breakfast foods. I like to make them from whole oat groats for a richer and creamier porridge.

Rolled oats come from steam rolled Whole Oat Groats. And steel cut oats come from the whole oat groat as well.

Oat groats take some time to cook, which is probably why they aren't as common, but the delicious taste more than makes up for it - and I have a great cooking method!

Before you go to bed, take 1 cup whole oat groats and add 6 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add a few pinches sea salt, turn off heat, and cover.

In the morning, bring your porridge up to a boil again. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding a little water if your porridge gets too thick or starts to stick to the bottom of the pot. You can even simmer for 1 hour if you have the time. The longer you simmer, the creamier it gets!

You can store it in the fridge and re-heat all week for a delicious and healthy breakfast! This recipe makes A LOT of porridge. It's way more economical than buying rolled oats too.

Brown Rice with Leeks

This is a great snack or side dish.

Chop one whole leek from root to tip. Rinse well in a strainer as leeks can be quite dirty.

Saute leek in olive oil with 1 clove crushed garlic and a few pinches sea salt.

Saute only until the leeks just start to wilt and turn bright green - about 1 minute.

Add cooked brown rice (freshly cooked or from the fridge) with a few good dashes soy sauce.

Stir to combine. Taste. Add more soy sauce if needed.

Delicious topped with steamed vegetables!

Almond Butter Delights with Dark Chocolate

Almond Butter Delights with Dark Chocolate

These are a nutritional powerhouse! Loaded with good quality fats and whole grain flour, this is a tasty treat that's good for you too! Packed with nutritionally dense almond butter and ground almonds, they will fill you up fast, and keep you full for hours. Lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup, these are a fantastic healthy mid-afternoon snack for when you're on the go!

For a version of these made with peanut butter visit www.GetHealthyWithCarol.com/Recipes

Ingredients:
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons almond butter
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or another oil of your choosing
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup almond meal (if you can’t find almond meal to purchase you can grind almonds in a food processor until finely ground).
1 pinch sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup dark chocolate chips (I like to buy a 72% cocoa chocolate bar and chop it into small pieces)

With a mixer cream:
almond butter
maple syrup
olive oil
vanilla extract

In a separate bowl, whisk:
flour
almond meal
salt
baking soda

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, in 3 batches. Using a spatula give a few stirs between each batch. Stop stirring as soon as flour mixture has been completely incorporated. Do not over mix.

Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon tablespoon sized drops onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes in the middle oven rack. Test doneness by removing 1 cookie from the oven with a spatula. Turn it upside down onto the counter. The bottom should be slightly to medium golden brown in color. Do not over bake these!

Makes about 38 moist and chewy cookies.

http://www.gethealthywithcarol.com/