Simple Meals

With Easter around the corner, this also means that Good Friday is rapidly approaching.  If you don't know what Good Friday is, generally it's supposed to be treated as a day of fasting, mourning, and a general bummer.  Personally, this reminds me of a lean time in my life when nearly every day was a fast day. (20$/month for food and medicine doesn't go far when you don't know how to cook!)  I'd like to talk about a few ideas that I wish I'd known then, to help get you through a lean day - voluntary or not.


Grain Porridge
Who says the only "hot cereal" is oatmeal?  Besides cream of wheat, you can make hot cereal with any grain you want, really.  Take grain, add enough water. Bring to a boil, and cook down until done.  Make it as thick or as runny as you like.  Try it with barley, millet, or quinoa.  Make it with rice and you have congee.

If you associate porridges with sweets like evaporated milk, maple syrup, brown sugar, or jam, challenge your perceptions and make a savory porridge.
Start with a sauteed onion, then toss in your grains and swish them around the pot or pan to toast them a bit.   Then add in your liquid and cook as above.  Water always works, or you can try using stock if you have some, to up the flavour.
A common addition when making rice porridge is egg.  Right when your congee is ready to come off the heat, crack in a raw egg and stir it around until it cooks.  It completely changes the mouthfeel of the porridge and makes it much richer.  Theoretically, you could try this with other grains, but I haven't, yet.


That all being said, oatmeal is still pretty amazing because it cooks up so quickly (5-10 minutes as opposed to some other grains that can take close to an hour - if not longer!)

Oatmeal

This is a classic, but I like to make it ever so slightly differently than it says on the bag. 

Here's how:

In a pot, add 1 part oats and 2 parts water.  One serving is usually between 1/4 c. and 1/3 c.  Feel free to add a pinch of salt.  If you'd like it runnier, add more liquid.  Pop it onto medium to medium/high heat and stir constantly (the stirring will make it creamier, I promise.)  I just stay there, stirring fairly often until it boils and thickens a bit, then drop the heat and stir a bit more often until it reaches the final thickness you like.  Pour in a bowl and eat.

When I make this any other time, I usually do equal parts oats, water, and milk.  The milk rounds out the flavour just a touch more.  To make it heartier and up the fat and protein content, try stirring in a spoonful of nut or seed butter. If you have some dried fruits available, add them at the start with the liquid - they'll plump up as you cook.

Sure, these aren't the most balanced meals in the world, but they're non-perishables and in a pinch they'll fill you up, warm you on a cool day, and get you by for a while - just don't be afraid to try combinations beyond oats, cream, and brown sugar!