WildFlours GF Group… Meaningful Morning Ideas #3: GF Porridge Bars

First day of fall, 2011

How fitting that the first day of fall just happened to be our local farmers market day!  So, yesterday we shopped for some pie pumpkins amidst our usual fruits and vegetables… then headed over to Trader Joe’s Market where everything smelled of apple cider!  It was a crisp, cool morning as well… not something very normal here in the midwest in September.

I promised to have one last Meaningful Morning Idea for you this week.  This one has been my favorite in the morning lately… gives me plenty of fuel for my morning and it is easy to prepare once a week!Gluten Free Porridge Bars can be served cold or warm.  My favorite way to have this hearty morning gluten free cereal bar is toasted in a skillet with some olive or coconut oil.  It gives the porridge a crispy texture and warms it through perfectly.  You can add just about any combination of soaked, whole gluten free grains when making these.  The key is to use enough water when cooking the grains to create the “porridge” consistency that will setup when it cools.  Here is the recipe:

Gluten Free Whole Grain Porridge Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Whole Gluten Free Grain such as Amaranth, Corn grits, Millet, Brown Rice, or Teff – or any combination of these
• 3 cups water, fruit juice or milk of choice or a combination
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup dried fruit of choice, diced (such as apricots, raisins, dates, figs, prunes, cranberries, blueberries)

OR

Method:

1. Bring water to a boil in a pot (you can also do this in a rice steamer if you have one).  Rinse your grain first under cool water.  Add your choice of grain or a combination to the boiling water.  Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until desired doneness.  About 15-20 minutes is generally enough.
2. While porridge is warm, stir in the pinch of salt and dried fruit of choice.
3. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.  Spread the warm porridge into the loaf pan.  Smooth the top, cool and then cover and refrigerate until the porridge is set.  It will have a consistency like polenta.
4. After the loaf has cooled and hardened, slice it, brush with olive oil and heat by sauteing, grilling or broiling.  You may also just eat it cold from the loaf pan.
5. Store extra slices in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to one week.

To make whole grains easier to digest, I soak them overnight in filtered water with 1 Tbls of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.  Just drain the soaking water (use a fine mesh strainer for the smaller grains like teff, amaranth, or millet) and add to the boiling water or liquids to cook.  You may find that they cook up faster this way as well.

One last tip I have for the kids in the morning is to make yogurt popsicles.  They will find this a fun way to start their day and you can load the popsicles with any combination of fruits and yogurt that you prefer them to have.  Enjoy breakfast again and make the most of your mornings to set you and your family out right for the busy day ahead.