What’s your perfect breakfast food? For me, it’s hot cereal. If I eat a big fat omelette with homefries first thing in the morning, I generally feel sluggish and uncomfortably full within ten minutes. If I eat a granola bar, I’ll be ravenous within ten minutes. But if I eat a nice, warm bowl of porridge (not too hot or too cold!), in the words of Goldilocks, I feel “just right.”
That’s because porridges and hot cereals are generally considered easy to digest, which is just what your body needs early in the morning. Since your digestion is weaker in the morning than at midday, its a better idea to awaken your digestive system gradually (with a nice, warming bowl of hot cereal) than to have your breakfast omelette bop it over the head with a baseball bat (IT’S MORNING! GET UP!!!!) In addition to being kind to your digestive system, hot cereal also happens to be a delicious and satisfying way to start the day – especially if it has creamy coconut milk, cardamom, and apples like this one.
This is the perfect fall recipe, for when the weather is just beginning to change and we need to give our bodies that extra warmth and love so we’re ready to greet winter without crying hysterically. (A few tears are expected). And, of course, fall is the best time for apples! While I’ve been using “porridge” and “hot cereal” interchangeably in this post, I’m calling this recipe a “hot cereal” because the millet retains a pleasant bite.
A couple notes about the recipe:
-You can use your favorite variety of apple to make this hot cereal, but in my opinion tarter varieties work better. If you do use a sweeter variety, you may want to decrease the agave.
-If you want to make this spicier, increase the cinnamon and add a pinch of cayenne.
-To free the seeds from a green cardamom pod, simply crush the pod a little and peel back the green shell.
Millet-Apple Hot Cereal
- ½ cup millet
- 1 2⁄3 cups water
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk (if your coconut milk has separated into cream and liquid, place in a bowl and whisk before measuring)
- ½ cup sliced apples (a tart variety is best)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ the seeds (about 5) from one green cardamom pod
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
Directions:
Crush the cardamom seeds with a pestle into a fine powder. Combine millet, water, coconut milk, apple slices, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, until almost all liquid has been absorbed. Sir in the agave. Turn off the heat and let sit covered on the burner for 10 minutes more. Top with berries, chopped nuts, fresh apple slices, or whatever your heart desires.
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