Creamy coconut porridge with apple, berries & maple (dairy-free)
I have this luscious porridge for breakfast most days in winter – I just love it. It’s easily made dairy-free and packed with goodies like bran and apple for fibre, LSA for good oils, and chia seeds. Plus it’s mostly sugar-free except for the natural maple syrup. It’s so utterly delicious that my husband can’t believe it’s actually fairly healthy – he reckons it’s like eating a dessert at breakfast time. I must admit he was slightly hesitant when he first saw it (he was a great lover of plain porridge with brown sugar) but now, this is all he ever wants. You might be wondering why I’ve used coconut cream as well as coconut milk – the coconut cream makes it lovely and well, creamy – and the coconut milk just takes the place of normal milk. You can just use one or the other if that’s all you’ve got.
Prep time – 5 minutes
Cooking time – 10 minutes
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup apple juice or water
3/4 cup coconut milk (or regular milk if you like)
1 large apple, grated
Half the pears and juice from a 400g can of pear quarters in clear juice
¼ cup raisins (or dried fruit of your choice)
¼ cup bran flakes
2 tbsp LSA (optional)
2 tbsp white chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp vanilla essence or paste
Handful freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries (or use fresh or frozen)
small pinch of salt
Optional, to serve
Pure maple syrup
Extra coconut milk
Sliced apple and berries
Method
Add the rolled oats, coconut cream, apple juice, coconut milk, grated apple, pears and juice, raisins, bran flakes, LSA, chia seeds, vanilla and berries to a saucepan and stir to combine.
Place the saucepan over a medium-low heat. Cook gently, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, for about 8 minutes until the porridge is lovely and thick and creamy. If you feel like you need to add a bit more coconut milk or cream, go ahead. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of maple syrup, extra fruit and a splosh of coconut milk or cream, or regular milk.
Chelsea’s tips
- Go for a good quality coconut cream with the fewest amount of additives you can find – and not a light version!
- If you’re not a fan of pears, use any other tinned fruit in clear fruit juice – or fresh fruit.
- Store the rest of the pears/juice in a bowl or plastic container in the fridge, not the tin. Same goes for the coconut cream/milk.
- It’s your choice if you peel the apples first or not.
- Freeze-dried berries are available in some supermarkets (New World) and specialty food stores.
