Canadian Style Steel Cut Oat Maple Porridge & Peccans

Oh Canada, I think I loveeeee ya. I has been a week now since I'm back from maple syrup country, my second visit to British Colombia (Vancouver and Whistler) was a blessing. I had such a good time. I must say that I really like the Canadian quisine! It is very wholesome in my opinion with good grains, fresh fish, loads of dried fruits and nuts and of course that amazing Canadian maple syrup. 

For me this is porridge Canadian style to the max.. Everywhere I went and ordered porridge for breakfast this is what it looked like more or less with dried cranberries and raisins and of course that golden maple syrup.

Another feature that I found striking about porridge in Canada: everywhere I went they served steel cut oats instead of regular oatmeal or oatflakes. Which I love and what you can't really find in the Netherlands (yet).

Enjoy guys, i'm sure you will because this is a treat!

X Fleur

Ingredients:

• 40 gr steel cut oats (or use regular oatflakes / oatmeal)
• some water (see method)
• 150-200 ml unsweetened almond milk (or use soymilk, rice-coconutmilk. water)
• good pinch of cinnamon
• small hand dried cranberries
• small hand raisins
• small hand fresh forest berries (or blueberries)
• 30 gr peccans
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 tblsp Canadian maple syrup
• small dollop of thick low fat (Greek) yoghurt

Method:

Put the steel cut oats in a bowl and cover with water. Put the bowl in the fridge and let the grains soak overnight (this will short the cooking time but it is not neccesary if you forgot to do this)

Next morning, drain the oats and give them a quick wash until the water runs clean. Add to a pan with the milk and let it cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the oats are properly cooked (if you are using normal oats, prepare them how you normally would in the microwave or on the stove).

Melt the coconut oil (I use the microwave) and mix it with the peccans and 1 tsp of the maple syrup.

Roast the peccans on low to medium heat in a frying pan until golden (be careful they don't burn!) When they are done, take off the heat and let them cool (they get crispy when they cool and taste better than when eaten hot). (You could also roast them in the oven: about 10 minutes on 175 degrees C).

When the porridge is cooked, add a good pinch of cinnamon and the other 2 tsp of maple syrup.

Pour the porridge in a bowl and top with dried cranberries, raisins forest- or blueberries, peccans, small dot of thick low fat yoghurt and additional cinnamon.