Apple Pie Porridge

I have really been on a sweet breakfast kick recently!

Richard was awake this morning to join me for breakfast and I figured I would give him something extra special to see what I get up to breakfast-wise.

I noticed an abundance of apples in our kitchen and as most of my recipes happen, I experimented! My time working as a pastry chef gave me plenty of skills to simply just ‘go for it’ when it comes to trying out new foods. They are definitely not all successes but this one most certainly was!

This porridge was a definite step back to the past for me today. Apple Pie was my favourite as a child, and my dad absolutely loved it- to my mother and grandpas dismay. There was a large divide in my family, one that was solely based in either the adoration or rejection of an apple pie. I was my Dad’s shining daughter siding with him, and gladly divulging into our stint of Saturday’s apple pie. I can honestly say I haven't had apple pie in YEARS and this recipe is as close as I’ve gotten to treating myself to the childhood memories.

Sharing this with you gives me great joy, and I promise you can share the glee with whoever you make this easy, fast, and sneakily-healthy breakfast for.

Apple Pie Porridge

Serves 1

15 minutes

Ingredients

Poached Apples

-1/2 Red Apple (Gala, Pink Lady, Red Delicious, Red Cooking Apple)

-2 Tbsp. Honey or Maple Syrup

-2 Tbsp. Water

-1 tsp. Cinnamon

-1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Oatmeal

-1/2 Cup Oats

-1 Cup Almond Milk (or alternative)

-1/2 tsp Vanilla

-1 tsp. Cinnamon

Topping Ideas

-Walnuts, Pecans, Almonds

-Raisons, Strawberries, Dried Fruit

-Dark Chocolate, Almond Butter

-Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds

Method

1. Make sure your half of an apple has no core membrane or seeds. Thinly cut lengthwise and separate the apple slices as they tend to stick together.

2. Place the apple slices in a pan over low heat with the honey/maple syrup, water, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Allow the liquid to bubble and reduce to a syrup while cooking the apples. This should take about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, either in a saucepan or microwaveable bowl, combine the remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, and 1 cup almond milk. If making oats over the stove, bring the mixture to a boil, and add in the oats. Lower the heat to a simmer and stir until fully cooked and liquid is absorbed into oats (about 5 minutes). The alternative is in the microwave, adding the oats to the liquid mixture and microwaving on high heat for 2 minutes.

4. Top the oats with your apple pie mix. Reserve the excess syrup and drizzle over oats. Add toppings of choice!

In this bowl, I added hemp seeds, strawberries, and walnuts!

Let me know what you added to your bowl and hashtag it to #behindthebowl and #scrambledhealth

What more recipes would you like to see? Let me know in the comments below, as I would love to hear from you!

Banana Chocolate Thumbprint Oat Cookies

BEHIND THE RECIPE

Being an expat in England, I am bound to have culture shock. Despite growing up with an English Nan who had a secret cookie tin in her pantry, I didn't realize the importance of tea and biscuits until I lived with my in-laws deep in Essex County. They are an integral part of daily life here, and expected whenever someone comes to the door- be it a construction worker, a plumber, painter, neighbour, friend. It is borderline offensive - scratch that - It IS offensive not to have tea and biscuits in steady supply.

While I can appreciate the skill required in the biscuit dunk in tea timing (too long it falls apart, too soon and its too crunchy), this obsession England has with biscuits soon became my vice in weight. My mother-in-law - bless her - constantly bought me ‘healthy’ gluten free biscuits and cookies from the free-from isle of supermarkets. While I truly appreciated the gesture, just a look at the ingredients had my esophagitis gurgling. What even is golden syrup made of anyways?

I now make these cookies as a healthy substitute for myself to feel included in on the fun day long event of biscuit eating, and honestly, everyone joins in on them too. It makes me feel SO happy that others are choosing the healthier option simply because of the ease of availability of which I make them, and taste rather than the convenient, chemical filled, processed ones. Because the ingredients are always readily available in my kitchen, and how fast they can be made, Banana Chocolate Thumbprint Oat Cookies are ALWAYS on my counter.

NUTRIENTS & STUFF

These cookies, despite being called ‘cookies’, are a great energy boosting on the go breakfast because of their ingredients.

Bananas are cheap, nutritious, and versatile. Packed full of fibre, they’re likely to fill you up and keep you full until the next meal. The potassium rich fruit also holds the key ingredients for your body to function properly. Be sure to buy fair trade and organic bananas, as with their popularity, sustainability of the fruit comes into question.

Oats are also cheap, nutritious and versatile! According to the British Journal of Nutrition, the dietary fibre, lipids, β-glucan and avenanthramides contribute to the heap of health benefits they seen to have on the human body including effects on cholesterol, and the cardiovascular system. Modern processing of oats to retain nutritional value and sustainability are being developed to create a foundation of admirable global health food practices.

Banana Chocolate Thumbprint Oat Cookies

Gluten Free, Nut Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free

Makes 14 Cookies Dependant on Size

15-20 minutes

Ingredients

-2 Bananas

-2 Cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats

-2 tbsp. Coconut Oil

-1 tsp. Vanilla extract

-4 tbsp. Honey/Maple Syrup

- Dark Chocolate Bar (85% or above)

-Pinch Sea Salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

2. Peel the bananas and, using a fork, mash the bananas until a mushy consistency. Lumps and bumps in the mash are okay at this stage.

3. Melt the coconut oil on the stove, or in the microwave on high for 30 sec.

4. Add the oats, coconut oil, vanilla and honey to the mashed bananas. Mix until batter is fully combined.

5. Place the batter in the fridge for 10 minutes minimum for the oats to absorb flavour and liquid.

6. Using your hands, roll the oat batter into a 4 cm by 4 cm ball. Place on a lined baking tray and press the balls down into circles. Create a small well in the center of each cookie. This is where your chocolate will later go.

7. Put the tray into the oven and bake for 13 minutes or until the cookies are beginning to brown around the edges. Meanwhile cut the chocolate into square chunks.

8. Remove the tray from oven and, in the center wells created before, put an individual chocolate square in the cookie. Put the cookies back in the oven for a final 2-3 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and let cool completely.