Sunday, June 15, 2008

CORE Porridge with 26 Variations

Pictured - Chocolate Porridge topped with Banana

I love porridge, especially in winter - it's warm and filling :) but it can get boring if you have it the same way over and over again.

Here are some great ideas to "jazz up" porridge

Also try: Steel Cut Oats Porridge


Serves: 1

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients - Basic Porridge (Small Serve)

  • 1/3 cup (30 g) quick oats
  • 1/2 cup nonfat milk
  • 1/4 cup water (or extra milk)

Microwave all for 2 mins

Not on Core? Total points = 2.5 pts

Ingredients - Basic Porridge (Medium Serve)

  • 1/2 cup (50 g) quick oats
  • 3/4 cup nonfat milk
  • 1/4 cup water (or extra milk)

Microwave all for 2 1/2 mins

Not on Core? Total points = 4 pts


Not a microwave fan?
Cook on stovetop for 5-10 mins in a non-stick pan, stirring frequently.
Apparently cooks nicely in an electric rice cooker while you shower / run


Flavour with:

  • pinch of nutmeg, cinnamon or mixed spice
  • a few drops of vanilla essense (or another flavour)
  • artificial sweetener (eg Splenda)
  • some people add a pinch of salt prior to cooking

Variations:

Core - NonCore variations are marked by a * with a notation about additional points

Points - for simplicity, Core variations do not have points marked. Most are 0.5 - 1 point on top of basic recipe



  1. Chocolate Porridge
    Add 1 TB of cocoa, sweetener to taste. Optional - top with a banana

  2. Berry Porridge
    Add 1/4 cup of frozen berries, increase time by 30 secs

  3. Seasonal Berry Porridge
    Top with 1/4 punnet chopped seasonal berries (strawberries, blueberries etc)

  4. Apple or Pear Porridge
    Add a snack pack of apple or pears and a sprinkle of cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, omit 1/4 cup water, increase time by 30 secs (eg Goulburn Valley 110g tubs/cans)

  5. Apple II Porridge - by EKKO63
    Add finely chopped small appleand add a sprinkle of cinnamon, increase time by 30 secs
    * If I'm feeling the need, I add 1/2 tsp of brown sugar - you get 2 tspns for 0.5 pts so you get 4 days for 0.5 pts at that rate.

  6. Porridge with Brown Sugar *
    Top with 1 tsp brown sugar (0.5 pts)

  7. Maple Porridge
    Drizzle 2 TB sugar free maple on top (0 pts for 2 TB, 0.5pts for 70ml)

  8. Honey Porridge *
    Drizzle 3 tsp honey on top (0.5 points)

  9. Caramel Porridge - by CAFFY24
    Add 2 TB diet caramel topping (0 pts)

  10. Banana Caramel Porridge
    Top with 2 TB diet caramel topping (0 pts) and a sliced banana, or add at start and increase time by 30 secs

  11. Peach or Apricot Porridge
    Add a snack pack of peach or apricot and a sprinkle of cinnamon, omit 1/4 cup water, increase time by 30 secs (eg Goulburn Valley 110g tubs/cans)

  12. Sultana Porridge *
    Add 2 TB sultanas (30 g = 1 pt), a sprinkle of mixed spice, increase time by 30 secs

  13. Banana Porridge
    Top with a sliced banana and sweetener or sugar free maple (or add banana at start and add 30 secs)

  14. Hawaiian Porridge
    Add 2 pineapple rings in juice, or 100-150g pineapple pieces, 1/2 tsp coconut essense, increase time by 30 secs

  15. Stewed Fruit Porridge
    Add 1/2 cup stewed fruit (plum, apple, peach, apricot, pear etc) omit 1/4 cup water, increase time by 30 secs

  16. Passionfruit Porridge
    Top with pulp of 1 or 2 passionfruit (or the 100% fruit passionfruit topping)

  17. Carrot and Pineapple Porridge
    Add 1 grated carrot, 100-150g pineapple pieces, sprinkle mixed spice, increase time by 30 secs

  18. Porridge in a Jam *
    Add 1 TB of sugar free jam on top and swirl through (WW Jams are 0.5pts for 1TB)

  19. Date Porridge - by LISAJ130
    Lisa's avourite is adding a couple of dates cut up in her porridge.
    Fresh dates are Core, dried are not (3 dried dates = 0.5 pts)

  20. Nutty Porridge * - by KAZFROMTAS
    Add some chopped walnuts (10 g = 1 point)
    or pecan (6 for 1 pt), almond (6 tsp TB flakes or 8 nuts = 1 pt), cashew (4 for 1 pt)

  21. Fruit Salad & Yoghurt Porridge
    Top with a big dollop of nonfat vanilla yoghurt and tinned or fresh fruit salad

  22. Warm Fruit Salad Porridge
    Add 1/4 of a 400g tin of fruit salad at start, making sure there is at least 1 cherry and grape, increase time by 30 secs

  23. "Tipsy" Fruit Cake Porridge *
    Add 2 TB sugar free maple (0), 1/2 tsp brandy essence (0), 2 TB sultanas (30 g = 1 pt), a sprinkle of mixed spice, 1/4 tsp grated orange/lemon peel (0) or 2 TB mixed peel (0.5 pts) and increase time by 30 secs

  24. Pear Extract Porridge * - Elaine
    Elaine's favourite is Melrose's Pear Juice extract, which gives a sweet tang to the porridge. (add points)

  25. Porridge with Apple Sauce *
    Top with 3 or 4 TB apple sauce (0.5 pt), a pinch of cinnamon and swirl through. Sugar free apple sauce is available

  26. Porridge with Peanut Butter * - Maigan
    Maigan stirs 2 tsp of peanut butter (1.5pts) through her porridge and say it makes it more filling and creamy

  27. Your idea here
    email your porridge variation to dazeydee@adam.com.au

Other oats for brekkie ideas: