Recipes: Three ways to pep up your porridge

What’s cosier on a chilly morning than a bowl of porridge? With National Porridge Week in October, food blogger and recipe creator Paige Esson – AKA Glutenless_Paige – is sharing three new recipes, developed with Huntingdon’s PureOaty. . .

Banoffee Oat Bowl
Says Paige: “Dessert for breakfast? Don’t mind if I do! This banoffee porridge bowl is what breakfast dreams are made of. . . Thick, creamy, porridge topped with a sticky date caramel, caramelised bananas, and finished with some chopped nuts. It’s pretty much banoffee pie in a bowl.”

Ingredients:

40g gluten-free porridge oats (such as PureOaty Porridge Oats)

250ml cow’s milk or gluten-free plant-based milk (such as PureOaty Creamy & Enriched oat drink)

1 tbsp milled flaxseed

1 handful chopped pecans or walnuts

1 ripe banana (cut in half)

2 tsp coconut oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

8 pitted medjool dates

Pinch sea salt

½ tsp vanilla

Method:

Blend dates, sea salt, vanilla and oat drink in a blender until completely smooth. You don’t want the caramel to be too runny so add a little bit of oat drink at a time until you have a spreadable consistency. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Add porridge ingredients into a medium saucepan and cook on a medium to low heat until the porridge has thickened.

Melt coconut oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and add in maple syrup. Add sliced bananas to the pan and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes until golden in colour and sticky.

Add the porridge into a bowl and top with caramelised banana, a spoonful of date caramel and some chopped nuts. This is the ultimate cosy breakfast!

Almond Butter & Berry Porridge
“Warm up your mornings with this cosy almond butter and berry porridge bowl,” says Paige. “There is nothing better than a simple, warm, delicious breakfast on a cold autumn/winter morning. I love having oats for breakfast. It really sets me up for the day and keeps me full until lunch.”

Ingredients:

½ cup or 40g gluten-free porridge oats (such as PureOaty Porridge Oats)

1 cup or 250ml cow’s milk or gluten-free plant-based milk (such as PureOaty Creamy & Enriched oat drink)

1 tsp cinnamon

200g frozen fruit

2 tbsp maple syrup

Squeeze lemon

Method:

Add oats, milk and cinnamon to a saucepan and cook on a low heat until you reach the desired thickness.

Top with cooked fruits and nut butter.

Add frozen fruit to a pan and cook until the fruit is soft and liquid has thickened.

Add 1-2 tsp of cornflour to thicken up.

Superfood Porridge
Says Paige: “Start your day right with this powerhouse porridge. This superfood porridge mix is packed full of nutrients, slow-release energy and will give you the perfect boost to start the day. This recipe is designed to be perfectly meal-prepable, to keep energy going all week.”

Ingredients (for 4-5 portions):

200g gluten-free porridge oats (such as PureOaty Porridge Oats)

250ml cow’s milk or gluten-free plant-based milk (such as PureOaty Creamy & Enriched oat drink)

3 tbsp milled flaxseed

2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds (or another tbsp chia seeds)

2 tbsp goji berries (or dried fruit of choice)

1 tbsp cinnamon

Method:

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well.

Measure 50g of mixture into saucepan or microwaveable bowl.

Add 250ml of milk of choice and cook on low heat or microwave for two minutes.

Pour into a bowl and top with fruit, seeds, nut butter or yogurt.