I know most of you are anxious for cooking! But before we get to cooking, you need to know how to find and identify good foods for you. Otherwise, you are still cooking with crap. No one likes cooking with crap.
So this morning, I made you breakfast....
The menu this morning: Peanut Butter Banana Porridge. (Porridge?!)...(Yes porridge..)
To start with I use Bob's Red Mill grain products. They are a great company and they use organic and sourced products. (Read about them here: www.bobsredmill.com. If the old man, alone isn't enough to make you want to buy the product, they are good people too.)
I use their oats, flour and pretty much everything. (For my Owensboro friends, I know you can find this brand at Kroger, and potentially at Target.) You'll notice that the recipe calls for 3 cups of water and one cup of cereal. (Following just this recipe will get you enough for at least 4 servings. The grain and oat cereals are very filling, so you might find yourself eating less than you thought that you would.) When I make this recipe I usually do about 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of water. (If you are practicing vegan or vegetarianism, try some almond milk.) I put in a pinch of salt, and maybe like 1/2 tblsp. of fresh unsalted whole butter. (Do not use margarine. If you are using margarine at this point in my blogging, you have 2 choices: Give it up Or Don't read this blog. This is all about natural eating. For my vegan friends, omit the butter...unless you have a good natural source for a vegan butter...Unless it's margarine.... Then just omit it.)
Side Note: You'll hear me make reference to cooking being more about methodology. With methods, I like ratios. You'll notice for this 10 grain cereal is 3 cups of liquid to 1 cup of cereal. 3:1. This is the same method would apply to make oats. Only the ratio for oats is 2:1. This is also the same ratio that you would use for rice. See it all starting to link?
Once your milk is bubbling around the edges, add your cereal:
Once you add the cereal, commit to babysitting for the next 5 minutes. Turn your heat to a medium-low and stir constantly, but gently (like a baby). Until it starts to bubble and thicken slightly. If you are with me until this point, you should be ok. You'll notice that in stirring the cereal, you'll feel the grains start to feel less like they are just wet sand on the bottom of the pan, and more like the cereal is distributed through the milk:
(Sorry for the steam, but you get the idea)
Now that its a little thicker, you can leave it for a few minutes between stirs. DO NOT leave it alone for the next 10-15 minutes while it finishes cooking. DO NOT have the flame on high. You will have burned, disgusting cereal and no one likes that. (Well I'm sure some freak does, but hey, that's their thing. Chef don't judge.)
DO have bananas that look like this:
While bananas like this aren't my favorite as plain ole banana eating, they are excellent IN things. (I haven't done any fact based research, but I have heard that when they get really dark like this all the good things bananas do, are intensified. Again, I don't have any fact based research) These bananas are super banana-y and have a lot of natural sugars developed. And because they are soft at this point, they are actually really easy to mash. I call them "banana bread bananas".
Mash Them:
I used a potato masher, but you can use anything you have on hand. You can put them in a bag and squeeze them into a paste if you like.
For sweetness and peanut buttter I used these:
(Sorry for the oil stains on the label. Because it is a natural peanut butter, it separates and spills out.) You'll notice there is quite a bit of fat, but its because peanuts and coconut are very fatty. But, this is breakfast and these are natural plant based fats. No extra ingredients and no preservatives. (Again, you don't have to use this brand. Just try to use my label reading scenario to find what works best for you. But the coconut is delicious and compliments the banana perfectly.) The honey is a local honey raised by one of my chef instructors. Owensboro peeps - Look to Trunnels and Reid's Orchard for natural sources of honey. Also, I believe Owensboro may have gotten a new market?
Now we need to look for a "done-ness". You may be saying.. "Amanda, I have never made this shit before in my life, how in the hell am I supposed to know when it's done?" Taste it. I cook everything by sight, touch, smell and taste. If you taste it, and it taste super gritty (like sand), its not done. Cook them longer. If you find that some of the grains have swelled but kind of feels like a fettuccini noodle thats not done all the way, cook it longer. Again, at this point we aren't tasting for flavor, we are tasting for done-ness. If at this point, you notice your grains aren't done but the porridge is super thick and pasty, its ok to add a little bit of water. to thin it out and let them cook.
If your grains are done, you are ready to add the fun stuff. Kill the heat.
I added, the bananas, maybe a tblspn and a half of peanut butter and a table spoon of honey. I also added a little bit of cinnamon. (Maybe a teaspoon? Again, I cook by taste.) After you get this all mixed
give it another taste. Adjust from there on your personal tastes. Also, if you find that the cereal at this point is too thick, add a little bit of milk or water and again, adjust on your personal preferences.
As stated in my last blog, the cereal in its pre-banana phase, is a blank canvas you can add anything to. Grated apples or pears are nice with this particular recipe. You can add berries and cream, or whatever you like. Play with it. Make it your own. Try this method with rolled oats for delicious oatmeals also. Its the same method, but with a 2:1 ratio. And there you have it...
Tastefully Yours,
-The Strange.
No comments:
Post a Comment