Tuesday 19 June 2018

Prickly Pear & Blueberry Porridge

   I've been working on some new porridge recipes lately, but I've been storing them all up for the upcoming release of a game. Yes, you read that correctly, I'm holding back porridge recipes for a video game. I have 4 of them, and while I thought I had only 1 more to do, I recently decided to add three more. But they're good fun and some are quite unique, and they've led me to buying some rather unusual fruits. One of which has become a recent breakfast obsession, if just because I couldn't get any fewer than 10 pieces.
   Prickly pears.
   Yes, the fruit of a cactus. I bought 10 heads, used just 2 for the porridge in mind and then had 8 left to play with. So I did just that, taking the obvious step of combining it with my other favourite fruit, blueberries, into my favourite breakfast, porridge. You are welcome.


   Prickly pear tastes like a combination of watermelon and bubblegum, but I find it leaning more towards watermelon, so, if you hate watermelon, you won't be fond of prickly pear. That said, if you hate the taste of watermelon but love to spit the seeds, then prickly pear can offer you more of that same pointless, dead-end relationship.
   Prickly pears are usually magenta. Yes, truly, that colour is real. So combining it with blueberries creates the most gorgeous lilac colour you ever did see. Except perhaps on lilacs. They're also super high in fibre, with about 4g of fibre per fruit and only 1g of sugar for the 10g of carbs, and are loaded with vitamin C, B-vitamins, magnesium and potassium, to name a few. So, with that taste (usually used to make sweets and confectionary in Mexico), that colour and that profile, how can it not become your new favourite fruit?!
   Well, I suppose those sharp spines could put people off. Then there's the itchy cactus hairs...but if you buy them from a reliable place rather than gathering your own if you can find them, you can bypass that terrible discomfort. I went to Fine Foods Specialist because it was the only place in the UK I could find them.


Ingredients
Serves 1
30g rolled oats (or preferred)
75ml water
100ml skimmed milk
20g whey protein
2 tbsp water
2 prickly pears
50g blueberries


Method
1. Cut the ends off of your prickly pears, then cut a slit down the side of the fruit and peel away the skin. Chop the fruit into chunks, setting some aside for garnish if desired, and set in a saucepan with 2 tbsp water. Heat over medium-low for 10 minutes, then mash to a pulp with a fork.

Overnight Oats
2. Combine the rolled oats and whey in a bowl (or shaker bottle) and, stirring all the while, slowly add the skimmed milk (or add liquid to the bottle, shake to combine and transfer into a bowl).

3. Mix in the mashed prickly pears, then add the blueberries. Set in the fridge overnight.

4. Heat if desired the following morning by stirring in 50ml water and heat in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, then heat for 20-30 second bursts until desired consistency, then serve.

Oats on the Hob
2. Boil the water.

3. Combine the rolled oats and whey in the pan with the mashed prickly pears. Slowly, stirring all the while, add the milk, then 75ml boiled water, then blueberries.

4. Bring the pan to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, until desired consistency is reached.

5. Transfer to a bowl and serve.


Notes
• I used Pulsin Premium Whey.
• I sourced my prickly pears from Fine Foods Specialist.
How to cut and prepare prickly pears.


Nutrition
346 cals, 3.5g fat (0.5g sat), 51g carbs (12.5g natural sugars), 12g fibre, 28.5g protein, 2.5 of 5 a day




0 comments:

Post a Comment

I do read every single comment, and I will try to respond where I can. If you have an important question about my blog or my shop, however, then you might be better off contacting me directly by email. Thanks so much for reading my blog!