I went through a phase of eating oatmeal every day, for a while. This was when I was still working a normal-person-job, and I had so perfected my morning routine that I would get up and, bleary-eyed, start making breakfast, get in the shower, dress, and by the time I made it back to the kitchen, my 40 grams of steel-cut oats with cinnamon would be perfectly cooked and ready to eat.
I abandoned oatmeal after a while for two reasons: firstly, no matter how much anyone has tried to convince me otherwise, about an hour after eating oatmeal (maybe two), I’m hungry again. Secondly, oatmeal, as delicious as it is, isn’t exactly paleo-friendly (especially considering I used to sprinkle mine with sugar).
It was last year, when my Little Sister was in Paris, that we discovered an apple and nut porridge that we quite liked and made as frequently as one of us was willing to wash the food processor afterwards. Last week, seeing as I had a quarter of a winter squash to use up and was kind of sick of my new fallback breakfast, potato hash with fried eggs, I tried out a new version – and I loved it.
It’s super easy to make as long as the pumpkin is already cooked, which I just do the night before when I’m making dinner so it’s ready to use. This recipe does make a lot (and portions will be smaller than you’re used to, considering that you’re basically just eating fat and fiber), but it keeps and reheats well (unlike real oatmeal), and so I’ll often eat it three times in a row or have some as a snack.
For people who don’t already eat paleo, the one thing I’d say about this porridge is that it’s not terribly sweet: it gets a nice natural sweetness from the roasted squash, and the date adds a little more, but it’s nowhere near as sweet as I used to eat my oatmeal, for example. I like it that way, but if you’re used to a sweeter porridge, you may want to add another date to the mix.
Pumpkin Nut Paleo Porridge (serves 2-3)
100 grams cashews
50 grams hazelnuts
1 date
1 slice pumpkin (about 1 cup), roasted
1/4 can coconut milk, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
fleur de sel
Place the cashews, hazelnuts, and date in a food processor. Process until chunky. Add the pumpkin and the quarter cup of coconut milk and process until well-blended.
Transfer the entire mixture to a saucepan. Add the water, cinnamon, and fleur de sel, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the porridge is hot and has taken on the texture you like. Serve in bowls with a spoonful of coconut milk on top and additional cinnamon, if desired.