Oatmeal Porridge with Date Puree by DK on Nov 16, 2012
Ignorance is bliss, most of the times. I say that because once you get to know things, reverting back to your previous illiterate habit is almost impossible. For me, knowing about refined products did just that. I now find it hard to eat foods that I would have enjoyed with abundant joy few years back. Adding white flour, white sugar & non-organic items takes immense effort & thought. I still do add (& consume) them but not without feeling responsible.
But changes are slow and the point I keep telling myself is to enjoy this reformation instead of getting stressed about it (I just can't let go of that dratted white rice from my system!). Eliminating white sugar did not pose as much of a threat as I anticipated. A simple switch to cane sugar/coconut sugar did the trick quite well. Jaggery did the rest. I still have an emergency white sugar packet in my pantry that I use for few traditional dishes. But apart from occasional treats, the rest of the usage is devoid of white sugar.
I also am inching towards other natural sweeteners and this is one such dish that I love. I always feel rejuvenated when I start off my day with this. I personally don't prefer the salted version of any kind of porridge and hence to sweeten it, I use Dates. This combo of Oats, Dates, Nuts and Milk gives me a energetic start to the day. Creamy porridge that's mildly sweet with a delicious crunch from the pistachios will be a hit with kids and adults alike.
- Cook time:
- Prep time:
- Serves: 2 people
Ingredients
- 1 cup (abt 170 grams/6 oz) Dates, see Tips
- 1 cup Rolled Oats, see Tips
- 1 cup Milk, see Tips
- Pinch of Salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted chopped Pistachios, or as needed
- Additional Milk to serve, optional
Tips
1. Rolled Oats: I use Bob's Red Mill's Extra Thick Rolled Oats, so I tend to use more milk than the amount mentioned above. You can use the instructions in your oats packet and work around this recipe according to your taste. Many Oats are not naturally Gluten Free but you can buy the ones marked specifically that. Bob's Red Mill's brand do sell Gluten Free Oats from what I have seen.
2. Dates: This amount is perfect for us. But in case you like your oatmeal sweeter, its better to make some extra and refrigerate the leftovers, if any.
3. Milk: You can also use Almond milk, Soy milk or Rice Milk to make this Vegan.
2. Dates: This amount is perfect for us. But in case you like your oatmeal sweeter, its better to make some extra and refrigerate the leftovers, if any.
3. Milk: You can also use Almond milk, Soy milk or Rice Milk to make this Vegan.
Method
1.
Halve the dates and remove the stones and stems. I chop them into smaller pieces.
2.
Add enough boiling water to cover the dates and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes. When short on time, I usually tend to do this previous night. But mostly while the oatmeal is getting ready, the dates are good to go before serving.
3.
While that's soaking, bring the milk and 1-1/4 cup water to boil. (you might need more or less depending on the consistency of your oatmeal).
4.
Once boiling, add the oats and salt to the milk.
5.
Mix and reduce the heat to simmer
6.
and cook for about 10-15 minutes (depend on the type of your oats. Mine takes about 20 min)
7.
Cook until done and reaches your desired level of consistency.
8.
Meanwhile, strain the dates retaining some of the soaking liquid. Remove the skin from the dates. I usually don't (yes, I am lazy that way) which I is why I forgot to mention the point in the beginning. If you want to remove the skin, just halve the dates and soak them instead of chopping them further. That way it would be easier to peel.
9.
Now place the peeled dates in a blender along with few tbsp of the soaking liquid.
10.
Blend to a smooth puree.
11.
Add it to your oatmeal or keep it seperately to be added while serving. I add half and keep half while serving.
Add more milk if needed and garnish with the chopped pistachios and additional date puree.
Filed Under these categories
- 226 American
- 447 Gluten Free
- 705 Kid Friendly
- 4 Porridge/Cereal
- 398 Pregnancy
- 224 Protein Rich
- 177 Sugar Free
- 499 Vegan Recipes
- 113 Wholegrain
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9 Comments
By Lovely on Sep 12, 2013
Do you use dried dates in this?
By Weekly Meal Plan – Making everyday cooking easy #2 on May 21, 2013
[...] Oatmeal Porridge + Orange Juice [...]
By jyoti on Nov 27, 2012
love the choice of dates..will surely try.
By Sunitha on Nov 18, 2012
Hi DK,
A nice and flavourful recipe one can make and take without any gulit. :) I prepare oats porridge in the same way but add hpney once the oats porridge cools down. Sometimes i use dates paste and sometimes honey. I make a similar porridge with rice flakes(poha). thanks for the recipe.
By Priya on Nov 18, 2012
Wish to start my day with this healthy and super filling porridge.
By uma shankar on Nov 17, 2012
:idea: wow what an idea it looks great!
By Smitha on Nov 17, 2012
My MIL has very high cholesterol (and few other health problems) and the doctor suggested oats. But I am always worried about using artificial sugars like splenda and stuff. She did not like it with jaggery. I dunno why I did not think about using fruit purees. This is perfect. Thank you thank you so so much.
By Cynthia on Nov 17, 2012
What an excellent idea - date puree with oatmeal! yum!
By Pervin Guha on Jan 24, 2014