Chocolate & Almond Porridge
This porridge recipe feels like a real treat, and is perfect for a Saturday; especially if you’ve been out in the cold watching football training (me) or doing Park Run in the rain, as so many of my friends do. It’s something to look forward to and will keep you going well into the afternoon.
INGREDIENTS for the porridge
1/2 cup porridge oats
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 dessert spoon of cocoa powder (I like @greenandblacks cocoa powder)
2-3 cups of milk of your choice, depending on your preferred consistency
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of frozen summer fruits (mine are from the supermarket)
3-4 tablespoons of water
DIRECTIONS
Place all of the porridge ingredients into a pan on the stove and heat on the stove at a moderate heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring all the time. Cook until the oats have softened and the milk has thickened. Add a little more milk if it becomes too thick for your liking.
At the same time, place the fruits with water in a separate pan on the stove and heat at a high temperate for 3-4 minutes. Cook until the fruits are soft and the water has become syrup-like. Keep a close eye on things as the water can quickly evaporate. If this happens all you need to do is add a touch more water.
Once the porridge and topping are cooked, serve and eat immediately. I enjoy mine with an additional spoonful of crunchy almond nut butter because I like this crunchy, almost salty, element.
A word of note: While this is chocolatey, it is not a sweet porridge, so this is something to consider. Almonds as a nut are naturally quite sweet as they have quite a high fructose content compared to other nuts. The cocoa powder is bitter and the cooked fruits are fairly tart. I’d suggest trying the recipe as I’ve described, and to think about the different flavours you can taste as you try it. Sometimes the acknowledgment of different tastes and textures brings food alive in a whole new way and brings new appreciation. If you find you really miss the sweetness, you could add sugar in the form of some raw honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar. All of these work really well.
