My new favorite autumn breakfast! Sometimes just a bowl of something healthy and delicious will help start your day off just a little bit better.
I decided to make this recipe for a few reasons:
1. I feel like every food blogger needs one of those over the top beautiful porridge recipes.
2. I had a butternut squash sitting around that I really needed to use.
3. I was tired of making myself Cream of Wheat everyday and decided I needed something a little more exciting (and healthier) in my life.
I believe reason two and three were much more motivating factors but I just had to throw in reason number one.
I have been wanting to do this recipe for the past year and I am so excited that I finally got to share it with all of you. It turned out so much better than I hoped for which is always a nice little boost to the ego. Especially since I had been down in the dumps the last few days so I really needed the boost!
This porridge combines three supergrains: millet, quinoa and amaranth. Millet is great because it is high in B vitamins, quinoa, as everyone knows is a complete protein meaning it contains all 9 of our essential amino acids and amaranth is high in calcium and protein. Plus, I think it just taste great to have a nice variety when making porridge!
I like my porridge to be very creamy but I try to avoid using dairy as much as I can because I believe dairy is very acid forming and not that nutritious. I also have a light form of rosacea so I especially try and stay away from it.
Since that is the case I just threw in a whole can of coconut milk in with the cooking water and just let the grains all cook together so they could get nice and creamy! Yum.
The butternut squash was the best part to me. It adds a special bonus if you use fresh squeezed orange juice but I know some of us don't have time for that, so regular store bought orange juice would work just fine too! I reduced the juice down with some honey and ginger and wild orange essential oil and made a thin syrup that I then tossed with the roasted butternut squash.
This was soooo good in itself and the ginger essential oil added just the perfect ginger punch. Josh and I were just sitting there eating the squash right out of the pan. Honestly, you could just ditch this porridge recipe and just make the squash and nobody would blame you. I almost did myself!
You will have leftover butternut squash which will keep nicely and you can easily save it for more future porridge recipes or use it to make an autumn smoothie. I actually think that is what I am going to do this very morning. Look for my quick recipe on instagram!
For the brittle I actually used the seeds from the butternut squash, seeds from a delicata squash I had just recently roasted and some pumpkin seeds I bought from the store. It can be a pain in the ass to clean and use the seeds from the squash but I like to utilize all of the ingredient if I can. You can easily just make this with pumpkin seeds that you buy from the store. Nobody will blame you!
I always say that if you can cut corners to get yourself to make a healthy meal it's better than not doing it at all!
If you do use the seeds from the squash, I discovered that giving them a little roast in the oven for about 10 minutes helps them not be super chewy when you make the cluster recipe but instead be a little more crunchy. Which is the desired effect I would want myself.
I ended up just throwing some of the butternut squash in with the leftover porridge so I could easily heat it up the next day and eat it over the course of the next few days but you can also keep all the components separate in the fridge. Or if you have a big family you might just end up eating it all in one sitting!
Make sure to tell me what everyone thinks or of any improvements you made. Love to hear it!
supergrain porridge with glazed butternut squash, honey seed brittle + coconut cream
serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup millet
1/3 cup amaranth
1/3 cup quinoa
1 can of coconut milk (see Recipe Notes)
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into medium cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup honey
2 drops ginger essential oil*
3 drops wild orange essential oil*
2 cups squash seeds
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon olive oil
optional: extra coconut cream for topping, sprinkled nutmeg
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium saucepan, combine the millet, amaranth, quinoa, coconut milk, water and salt. Bring the mixture to a low boil and then simmer over low heat, stirring often until the liquid has been absorbed and the grains have thickened, about 25 minutes.
If your porridge gets too thick, thin with more coconut milk or water.
Top with a dollop of whipped coconut cream, glazed butternut squash plus a drizzle of the reduced orange honey sauce. Finish topping with honey seed brittle. Serve and enjoy!
glazed butternut squash
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Add the orange juice and honey into a small saucepan and bring to a low boil on medium-high heat.
While you wait for the juice to come to a low boil, toss the cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet with the oil and a sprinkle of salt. Roast for about 25 minutes or until tender.
Let the juice simmer on medium-high heat for about 30 minutes or until it becomes very syrupy. Take it off the heat and add the drops of ginger and wild orange essential oil and stir.
When squash is done, take out and the oven and let cool slightly, then toss in the orange honey reduction.
honey seed brittle
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the squash seeds, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, oil and melted butter. Sprinkle with salt. Toss well to combine, making sure everything is evenly coated. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool and then you can break apart in pieces.
RECIPE NOTES
What I did is I opened two cans of coconut milk. Added one full can to the porridge. The other one I reserved the cream from the top and used the water from the can for the 1/2 cup of the 2 1/2 cups of water. I later just whipped the set aside cream with a fork so I could add it on top at the end. You can just use the one can of milk and the regular amount of water if you so wish.
If you want to make this recipe without essential oils, it is fairly simple. Just add a few slices of full ginger and some of the orange zest into the pan while the juice is reducing and just remove the ginger once the reduction is done. Or eat it.!
If you like your pumpkin seed brittle to be a little more crunchy then you can cook it just a little bit longer. Just make sure you don't burn it!
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*We use doTERRA essential oils for cooking because of their high quality and purity. You do not have to use essential oils for this recipe but if you do make sure they are food grade and safe for internal consumption. Check out my recipe notes on how to make this recipe without essential oils if you so desire. Enjoy!
