CREAMY COCONUT AND QUINOA PORRIDGE

Hopefully by now you would have tried the chia seed pudding recipe but if you haven't it's OK because I have another tasty breakfast recipe for you to try! I've called it my creamy coconut quinoa porridge - a bit of a mouthful but that's exactly what it is.

It's very similar to the banana oat porridge, but due to the limitations I have with my grain intake, I replaced my oats with quinoa. I also use this same recipe to make teff porridge but you have to soak teff overnight before you cook it so don't forget to do that!

The slight variation for this porridge is the use of coconut milk instead of coconut 'milks' or 'mylk' as I was using before. I find using full coconut milk makes the porridge a beautiful texture as well as really 'coconutty'. For an even creamier porridge you can also use coconut cream.

There are amazing health benefits from eating coconut and coconut milk. Firstly, coconuts are an amazing source of healthy fat. They are also naturally anti-fungal and anti-viral which is extremely important if you suspect that you're dealing with candida or fungus related eczema or any other fungal related conditions. The MCT in coconut milk is also very good in order to boost your immunity.

Here are the nutritional benefits of the coconut cream I used from the Biona website:

Despite what previous reports have said about coconut products being ill for your health, coconuts are in fact one of the best sources of healthy fat you can get. I use coconuts for curries, breakfast and even to snack on sometimes during the day.

I'd also mention that Biona is the only brand I buy my coconut products from because the ingredients are literally just coconuts and water. No added preservatives, no added sugar, no added thickeners. Nothing. This can be a challenge for you actually. The next time you see a tin of coconut milk in your local supermarket just have a quick look at how many unnecessary chemicals that have been added to it. I also buy Biona because they use BPA free lined cans.

"Firstly, coconuts are an amazing source of healthy fat.

They are also naturally anti-fungal which extremely important

if you suspect that you're dealing with candida or fungus related

eczema or any other fungal related conditions,"

When it comes to quinoa, there are a few kinds of quinoa you can get. There is white, red or black quinoa or even a combination of all three. The reason I buy black quinoa is because over time I've learned that the darker a grain or vegetable is, especially by way of blacks and purple hues, the higher the nutritional value and antioxidant content.

You could possibly cook the quinoa in the coconut cream but I prefer to cook the quinoa separately to make sure it's completely cooked through and then add the separate ingredients to it.

The last note I wanted to make was that you can bulk this up by adding nuts, fruits or seeds. Just like the chia seed pudding, I tend to add sprouted flaxseeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds to my porridge; but I think fresh blueberries would also be an amazing addition to add as well.

As always if you try it and you like it, be sure to hit me up in the comments or tag me on instagram using the #eatsforeczema hashtag.

INGREDIENTS:

BLACK QUINOA

HIMALAYAN PINK SALT

COCONUT OIL

2 RIPE BANANAS

3 MEDJOOL DATES

APPLE PUREE [OPTIONAL]

400G CAN OF COCONUT CREAM

1/4 TSP OF CINNAMON

1/4 TSP OF GINGER

1/4 TSP OF NUTMEG

1/4 TSP OF ALLSPICE

SUNFLOWER SEEDS

PUMPKIN SEEDS

METHOD

1. The first step is to put the quinoa to boil until its cooked. People cook quinoa similarly to rice but it actually doesn't need covering. Double the amount of water to quinoa used and once it begins to boil turn the heat down to a simmer and leave until all the water is gone. I would use a 1/2 cup of quinoa to a full cup of water. Add a little himalayan pink salt and a spoonful of coconut oil.
2. When the quinoa is cooked, mash two bananas in a separate bowl and then add to the quinoa.
3. Add half of the coconut milk to the pan as well as adding all the spices and apple puree if you're using it
4. At this point also chop up the dates and add these to the pan aswell.
5. Ensure the pan is on a low to medium heat and once the milk begins to thicken and the dates begin to soften you can take it off the heat. Remember the quinoa is already cooked.
6. Place the porridge into a bowl and add the sprouted flaxseed, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.
7. If you want to you can also add extra almond milk to the bowl to loosen the porridge if it is too thick. To be honest, I do this because I'm a greedy goblin and don't want to have to wait for my porridge to cool down!
8. Grab a spoon, a good seat and enjoy.