Morning Millet Porridge

Morning millet porridge is a great gluten free breakfast that lends itself to a variety of fruit and nut toppings. Try your millet with fresh cranberries and toasted pecans for a healthy start to your day.

When I was told I had an allergy to eggs, gluten and dairy, I thought, there goes breakfast.

Sure, I'm down for a healthy smoothie like my dandelion detox or rainbow chard ginger, but then what do I do at 10am?

Enter the gluten free grain, millet.

You know quinoa of course (hello quinoa spinach breakfast bowl) and there's gluten free oats (gotta love the easy overnight apple oats), but what about millet?

Poor millet hasn't had its time in the sun, but today we're going to give it its due with this creamy morning millet porridge recipe.

I've experimented with using the millet a few different ways.

I've done the I-can't-be-bothered-way of not grinding the millet, but each time I didn't like it as well, so now I do grind it.

You don't need to make a complete fine powder. 

I like to pulse it until nearly smooth, but still with a little texture. 

I've put the spices in first, last, in the middle and I say definitely don't wait until the end.

You want to give the flavors some time to develop, so adding them in the beginning works best, but you can also throw them in after you've toasted the grains.

You'll want to adjust the liquid to your desired consistency in this morning millet porridge.

If you want to be able to stand your fork up in it, use less liquid, and if you want to slurp it, add more liquid.

Fruit, nuts, sweeteners - all up to you.

I kept mine low on the glycemic index with tart fresh cranberries and just some nice spices.

So what I'm saying is that you really can't mess up this morning millet porridge.

I like to make a big batch on Sunday and eat it for the next few days.

When I'm ready for breakfast, I put a scoop in a bowl with a little warm water and stick it in the microwave for 60 seconds or I warm it on the stove.

I threw raw cranberries in before heating and they softened up just right.

And there you have yet another gluten free, dairy free and vegan breakfast recipe.

Creamy Morning Millet Porridge

About 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1-1/2 cups millet - ground to nearly a powder

• 4 cups coconut milk (full fat, look for BPA free can)

• 1-1/2 cup water

• Optional toppings: Vanilla, cranberries, blueberries or other fruit and toasted nuts

Instructions

1. Warm the coconut oil in a medium saucepan and then add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Stir until fragrant, less than a minute. Add the millet and stir, making sure to fully coat the grain. Pour in the coconut milk and water, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and lightly cover. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until liquid begins to evaporate. Check to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom. Give it a whisk and continue to cook if too much liquid remains. Once desired consistency is reach, remove it from the heat and add desired toppings.

2. Can be refrigerated and reheated the next day. You may want to add additional water when you reheat.