Sunshine Porridge: Mango, Banana & Coconut

I love having oats in the morning so much – sometimes I swear porridge is my favourite food. So when it gets a bit warmer in the summer, I like to find ways to make by porridge get a summery overhaul too. This combination was a particular favourite that I put together recently. 

Also a note on soaking your oats before cooking: I have found that soaking oats, even if only for 30 minutes before cooking, greatly improves the texture of them. Soaking also helps the starches break down, allowing the nutrients to be absorbed more easily by the body.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

• 100g Oats, I used Quakers. (Soaked for 30 minutes to overnight before cooking) 
• 200ml Coconut Milk from a Carton (I used Alpro)
• 1 TBSP Chia Seeds
• 1 TBSP Honey or Maple Syrup
• ¼ Mango, chopped into Chunks
• 1 Banana, sliced 
• Handful of Chopped Peanuts 
• 2 TBSP Yoghurt 

Place your oats and chia seeds in a bowl and cover with water until just submerged. Leave to soak for at least 30 minutes, or prepare and leave in the fridge overnight.

Transfer the oat mixture to a pan and add the coconut milk, then place on a low heat, stirring continuously as it cooks for 10 – 15 minutes. Add a little more liquid if you feel it getting too thick. 

While the porridge is cooking, slice the fruit for the toppings. Once the porridge is ready, mix in the honey or maple syrup, scoop into your favourite bowls, arrange the toppings, and serve immediately! 

Smokey Potato Hash with Eggs

This is a really hearty brunch meal which would be equally good as a lunch or dinner – I might even be tempted to add a bit more of a spice kick if I was having it later in the day. I made this using a mini casserole dish, but would work equally well in a non-stick pan, skillet or shallow dish.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

• 500g potatoes, diced into 1-2cm chunks
• 2 – 4 eggs
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 Handfuls of Spinach 
• 2 TSP Smoked Paprika 
• 30g Cheddar, grated
• 1 Avocado 
• Salt 
• Pepper

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add the diced onion and potatoes, along with the paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to coat the spices around the potatoes, and let fry for around 15 minutes – stirring every now and then to stop the potato sticking. 

When the potato is golden brown and tender, turn off the heat. Stir in the spinach and let it wilt, then add the cheese and mix.

If you are using mini casserole dishes then now transfer the mixture between them and crack the eggs onto the top. Otherwise, crack the eggs directly onto the top of the mixture in the pan – note that continuing using the same frying pan would only work if it is small enough that the potato mixture is dense and consumes most of the pan. 

Place the casserole dish or pan under a hot grill or in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes until the egg is cooked. Slice the avocado, and serve alongside!

Carrot Cake Oats

One of my go to and all time favourite porridge combinations is carrot cake oats. A lot of people find the idea of adding carrots into your breakfast odd when they see me do it, but I love the texture and flavours it adds – as well as squeezing a portion of veg and more fibre into the first meal of the day. I like to add extra spices in, but you can pick and choose what you want – and experiment with other flavours and textures too.

Ingredients:

Serves 1 (but easily doubled, tripled, etc..)

• 50g Oats
• 300ml milk (dairy or non-dairy) – or use 50;50 milk and water
• 80g grated carrots
• Handful of raisins
• 1 TSP Cinnamon
• 1 TBSP Honey
• 1 TSP Mixed Spice (or ginger, or nutmeg) optional
• 1/2 TSP Orange Zest optional

Toppings

• Spoonful of yoghurt
• Scattering of nuts – walnuts, peanuts, almonds work great
• Drizzle of peanut butter or almond butter
• Dried fruit or a chopped date
• Cacao Nibs
• Sprinkle of Chia Seeds

Soak the oats in 100ml of milk or water for around 15-30 minutes if you have time, no worries if not. 

Add the oats, 200ml of the milk, cinnamon, mixed spice orange zest, and grated carrots to a non-stick pan over a low heat. Stir occasionally for 5-10 minutes, adding more liquid as you feel necessary.* 

Add the raisins and honey and continue to cook for another 5 minutes making sure it doesn’t dry out or stick to the bottom. 

When its ready, spoon into a bowl and experiment with adding whatever toppings you feel like. I used a spoonful of yoghurt, a chopped date, sprinkled some chia seeds and cacao nibs, then drizzled some peanut butter over. 

*If you find the carrot texture still too crunchy for your own liking, you can add the grated carrots for an extra 5 minutes in 100ml of water or milk before adding the rest of the ingredients.