COCONUT, WHITE MISO, CARDAMOM BUCKWHEAT 'RICE' PUDDING PORRIDGE

Author Notes

From time to time there is a fine line between breakfast and dessert. This recipe represents one of those times. You could eat this for dessert at a gourmet restaurant, or you could eat this with your kids around the breakfast table on a sunday, in your pyjamas. It's up to you, but I know what I'd rather. I love all things breakfast, and although I don't always get time to make a good one during the week, my weekends are almost entirely centred around it. If I have a relatively calm weekend with not much going on, i'll take my sweet time getting out of bed, deciding what to make for breakfast, perhaps visiting the local grocery shop in clothes that certainly aren't socially acceptable, and then preparing, serving and enjoying a nutritious kind of feel-good feast. That's what weekends are for! The more people around the kitchen table and the more mouths to feed, the better.

This take on porridge is considerably creamier and has, in my opinion, a much more pleasant texture than oat porridge. Growing up, I hated porridge as I always got tough oats stuck in my teeth, and also, I hadn't been introduced to any of the ingredients I love now, so I was terribly unaware of how toppings could transform a sloppy, bland bowl of soggy oats into something I wanted to eat all day, all night and then again in my dreams. As well as being incredibly softer, plumper and creamier, buckwheat (a fibrous seed) is far more nutritious than oats - higher in (easily digestible) proteins, high in magnesium and, despite it's name, gluten and wheat free. It also helps control and reduce water retention in the body, and aids digestion.

To keep this breakfast/snack/dessert everything-free like the rest of ModelMangeTout, I use coconut or almond milk in this recipe instead of cows milk. Instead of sugar, you can incorporate coconut palm sugar/nectar, agave, stevia or raw honey (you may not need any sweetener at all - but I would recommend it for a dessert option). And, as with all porridge, you can get creative and play around with what you put in it, and on it, to make it more than just a bowl of stodge. In this recipe, I used miso and cardamom as they go really well with the coconut flavour from the milk, but you can use any herbs or spices and can add nuts, seeds, dried or fresh fruit and superfood powders of your choice. —Danielle Copperman