Monday, July 13, 2009

Crock pot mixed grain porridge recipe

Crock pot mixed grain porridge, adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker CookbookI want breakfast the second my feet hit the floor in the morning. This means that I rarely make anything time-consuming because I simply don't have the patience (or the time) to wait for something to cook. This is where the crock pot can be a lifesaver. Simply put it all in before you go to bed, and you wake up to a perfectly cooked breakfast.

Crock pot mixed grain porridge (adapted from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann)

1/2 cup steel-cut oats
3/4 cup wild and brown rice blend (or use any combo of rices)
1/2 cup millet
1/4 cup stone-ground grits
3 Tbsp flax seeds
5 1/2 cups water
pinch of salt

Combine everything in a medium crock pot (I used a 3 1/2 quart one) and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Serve with dried fruit, nuts, honey, or anything else that comes to mind. To reheat, add a splash of water or milk before microwaving. Serves 6.

When I woke up, I caught a whiff of toasted nuts (I think it was the smell of wild rice), and was excited to try it out. This might be my new favorite breakfast. I loved the combination of the grains, and the way that they almost melted into one another (particularly the millet, which could no longer be identified).

I'm submitting this to the Breakfast Recipe Blog Carnival to benefit Haiti, hosted by Winnie of Healthy Green Kitchen.

9 comments:

Alta said...

I need to get a little slow cooker so I can do this! What a great idea.

Katie said...

Alta - I love my slow cookers, even though I don't use them that often. I have very cheap ones (a 5.5 qt Rival and a 3.5 qt Hamilton Beach), but they work just fine. I especially enjoy them on hot days when I want to make a casserole or soup/chili but don't want to turn on the stove or oven and heat up the house. It's not a big problem in Michigan, but I bet you have a lot of those days down in Texas!

Tanya said...

Love the twist on this - I've only ever used the stovetop.

Winnie said...

Katie,
This looks great and thanks for adding this to the breakfast blog carnival for Haiti. When you get a chance, can you please add a link back to my post? Thanks!

Katie said...

Winnie - Thanks for hosting such a great event, and I added the link.

lcqc said...

I have read (various accounts) that flax seeds consumed whole like this - not ground before cooking, that is - will not be digested (and thus their nutrients not absorbed) unless the hulls are cracked by chewing while eating, something not too likely to happen with a breakfast porridge. Not so?

Katie said...

Icqc - I've read the same thing, and chewing is only going to crack some of the seeds open. I like the seeds in this porridge for flavor, so I'm not too worried, but you could use flax meal instead (I think that heat converts all of the omega 3 fatty acids into nonessential fatty acids, so you would want to add it just before you eat it).

Anonymous said...

I would add same amount of ground flaxseed in this recipe (coffee grinder will work) then you don't need to worry about getting the nutritional benefits.

I've also read not to consume cooked flaxseed, so may just add after cooking, undecided at this point.

MissMandy said...

Would you be able to toss some quinoa in here as well? Just wondering how it would cook if you tossed some nuts and possibly frozen fruit in at night as well? Do you think they would hold up alright or become too blended with the porridge? Also how do you feel about using milk instead of water or half and half? Or would it be best to add everything in the end?