So, it's June...Summer arrived so quickly! My blogging has been terribly neglected however my intent with today's Strawberry Full Moon is to write a blog at least once a month because the truth is, I'm almost always cooking up some new thing in my kitchen and I absolutely love to share delicious, healthy food with people and celebrate seasonal eating. Really, the two go hand-in- hand so naturally. Please have faith in me to keep these blogs coming... :-)
Living in Berkeley, California, June mornings are often cool and my body doesn't necessarily feel like a cold smoothie is the best thing. Anyone else relate to this? A nice light breakfast porridge can be wonderful in the summertime. Whole grains and pseudograins (what? yes, we'll get to that in a minute) can be so nourishing for us. Yes, whole grains!!! I'm not a Paleo chef, I'm not an any-specific-diet-trend-chef, OK? I'm a Natural Chef, I do my best to cook with whole food ingredients that are in season, sourced sustainably, pesticide-free, and local whenever possible. Now, what's a psuedograin you may be asking? Psuedograins (or psuedocereals) are grass seeds that come from the dicot family of plants, whereas grains or cereal grains come from monocot plant families. All Psuedograins are gluten-free. They are lighter than cereal grains like wheat and rye and can be easier to digest, that means it's easier for us to absorb their nutrients. Pseudograins include: quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, and millet.
Millet and amaranth are lovely additions to your whole food pantry. I recommend storing them in glass jars and not buying huge amounts because grains do contain oils and will go rancid if left to sit too long...(You'll know grain has gone rancid because the aroma will be off, if you discover rancid grains, do yourself a favor, recycle them to the earth, you body will thank you, rancid oils build up in the body and really weigh us down.)
Millet is particularly alkalinizing to the body -it's going to give you a nice peaceful feeling :-) Amaranth cooks up into a lovely goo-like substance. Combining the two works really well. If you are patient and planned, soak the millet overnight and then rise off the soaking water before using (you'll need a fine mesh strainer). The amaranth is so tiny it will wash through most strainers so just use as is. If you really want to wash amaranth before using buy a fine mesh nutmilk bag..
Millet and Amaranth Coconut Breakfast Porridge (Serves 4)
RECIPE
2/3 cup millet (soaked overnight or washed thoroughly)
1/3 cup amaranth
2 T dried shredded coconut (no added sugar)
2 cups filtered water
1 T coconut oil
1 T chia seeds (optional)
pinch of sea salt
PROCEDURE
Combine millet, amaranth, shredded coconut, coconut oil, salt and chia in a standard sauce pan (2qt size is plenty big). Add water, cover and bring to a low boil over medium heat; as soon as boil begins, reduce heat to low and cook for 20-25min. (If you've soaked your millet cook time will be reduced by about 5min.) Turn off heat and let grains sit 5-10 min before serving.
Serve with plant milk of choice and fresh fruit.
For the full Strawberries and Dream Summer Breakfast Porridge Experience, keep reading...
While grains are cooking make your very own homemade Dreamy Vanilla Cashew Milk (you'll never look back!)
Dreamy Vanilla Cashew Milk
RECIPE
1 cup soaked cashews (Soak minimum 2 hours, or over night, rinse thoroughly before use)
4 cups filtered water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pitted mejool date
pinch of sea salt
PROCEDURE: Combine ingredients in a high speed blender and blend for at least 30 seconds. Store in a clean glass jar. Stays happy in the refrigerator up to 5 days (doubt yours will last that long!)
A final note on seasonal fruit -if you can buy from the farmer's market -DO IT. Buy organic or if you know your growers aren't using sprays this is a great option as well and will cost less. That fruit is so delicious and super healthy for you...Whatever's in season will taste divine and bring you and your loved ones joy...Peaches and Cream Summer Breakfast Porridge...Berries and Cream...You get the idea...
Dreamy Vanilla Cashew Milk :-) use vanilla seeds from a vanilla pod if you are feelin' fancy.