Happy Valentine’s day
Or if you’re like me, Happy February 14th… That
is all.
Only joking, I’m not really bitter like tahini and despite having yet to locate a human partner; I would like to believe that I have
been in a very loyal relationship for the last year and a half regardless - with
porridge oats.
Aaaah yes, the times have been up and down but oats and I have
stuck it out through thick and thin. We’ve rolled through the 5am starts and
milked the best out of those cold wintery evenings. Even when sometimes I felt
like screaming ‘you’re hot then you’re cold!’ and my dependency on the stuff
would have me quaking in the corner with fear, I knew everything would always
be ok in an instant when we were together (you better be appreciating the pun-murdering
going on here). In a nutshell, on this Valentine’s Day 2016 I would like to say
thanks to my best friend in a bowl for always seeing me through (and sorry I
guess for constantly eating your face but you know what they say – love hurts).
Oats I love you, oh so much.
But I also love chocolate.
Hold the phone! Have I been having a cocoa based affair on
my beloved porridge? I’ll admit the temptation has been there. With Valentine’s
treats being plastered throughout the shop windows for the last month like some
form of chocolate leprosy and with the arrival of Easter eggs already beginning
to colonise the shelves (yes, they’re here), I have discovered that a lot of my
thoughts have been drifting towards all things chocolate related. It’s actually
quite hard not to think about it; dark and mysterious, smooth yet chiseled,
intense but comforting, I’m sorry but that’s everyone’s type. Chocolate is
literally everyone’s type!
However, despite succumbing to a few moments of weakness
e.g. these strawberry cream filled chocolates and maybe a visit to the pic’n’mix
section of the cinema (whoops), I have mostly remained very loyal to porridge.
I mean, in terms of nutrition porridge will always have my back right?
Chocolate is one of those things that can’t always be relied upon in that department
sadly. I’m not quite sure where I’ll ever stand with it and as such this would
probably lead to a love-hate type of relationship.
Let’s talk about
chocolate here for a sec. It isn’t necessarily unhealthy, but we know that
right? A little won’t hurt, but who the hell only has a little? And whilst we’re
told constantly about the virtues of high quality dark chocolate it’s clear that
a great deal of shop-bought chocolate bars and snacks are so full of additional
fat and refined sugar that any benefits are pretty much wiped out.
But they taste soooooo goooooooood!
Yes, yes they do.
But back to looking at the dark stuff and by dark I mean at least
70% cocoa solids or above - when consumed in moderation (how I hate that word) and
in less refined forms (e.g. cacao/unsweetened cocoa) chocolate has a bunch of
health benefits attached to it.
Everyone is aware of how eating chocolate releases
endorphins leading to that ‘I’m so happy I just can’t even’ state of Euphoria.
What? You’ve never overdosed on Nestle's finest and awoken from a sugar coma 3
hours later, completely naked aside from a Kit Kat wrapper? Well my friend you
are yet to experience one of life’s most thrilling (and regretful) moments. I
would also just like to quickly rephrase that statement by saying it was a Kit
Kat peanut butter chunky wrapper. I’m not boasting about manhood or anything
like that (even the notion!) I just really like chocolate with peanut butter
and believe the two should be combined wherever possible – more on this later.
Other brilliant properties of chocolate include it being
being:
- High in Magnesium - decreases blood pressure and increases blood flow to both the brain and heart.
- High in Iron – prevents anaemia and enhances cognitive functions.
- High in Copper - helps reduce the risk of strokes and cardiovascular problems.
A couple of other cheeky benefits are that despite dentists launching
a hate campaign against
chocolate for years, the dark variety is actually quite
rich in theobromine which can strengthen tooth
enamel and help protect teeth.
It also contains flavonols which can help protect the skin from harsh UV rays
(not so much a necessity in England). All of these great stats plus technically
as chocolate is derived from the cocoa bean, which in turn is a vegetable – it
kind of counts towards one of your five a day?
Common sense: ‘Errrm well…’
I don’t care what the
scientists say, I’m counting it.
So I guess chocolate (when eaten in a certain form and
quantity – as with most things) is actually kind of a super food. Maybe there‘s
more room in my life for this guy after all. Yay!
But wait! Despite reading about all the good things that
chocolate does I still didn’t want to betray my beloved oats or for Mr Quaker
to end up feeling jealous or unloved. So I did what any self respecting person would
do and I introduced the pair to one another. All of a sudden life got very interesting.
Oats and cocoa are a match made in heaven - things went so well in fact that we even
got other ingredients involved for a full on chocolate porridge taste frenzy and
now we are happier than ever! Maybe sometimes, something new doesn’t necessarily
mean that something old has to end. It’s the same for real relationships too I
guess; when you find yourself changing when you’re with someone, it doesn’t
mean that you give up who you were, just that some aspects of your personality,
views, thoughts and emotions are going to mix with those of your partner. And
if it’s a good match, both will come out the other side better for it (like
cocoa and oats).
Also in a similar fashion to ‘real people’ relationships, it’s
not so much about the falling in love that can be tricky (i.e. Mixing chocolate
and oats together) but rather keeping the relationship fresh, exciting and
forever an adventure. Hence, I have decided to share not only two of my loves
(both old and new) with you wonderful people today but in an array of seven glorious
flavour combinations. This way every morning of the week can be started with
that ‘head over heels’ feeling (and not in the sense that you’ve fallen out of
bed whilst trying to smash turn off your phone alarm).
Have a LOVE-ly day (teehee, I’m horrendous) and if you’re
running the singles race and aren’t happy about it, remember that being lonely
and being alone are two very different things. Grab a friend, relative or a bowl
of porridge and just spend some time chilling, eating or doing anything that
you enjoy. Heck, why not? It might just be another day of the year but that doesn’t
mean it has to be a dull one.
See ya next week J
Chocolate Porridge varieties
Serves one
Base ingredients:
½ cup oats
1 cup water or almond milk/milk of choice – (sometimes I’ll
mix half and half to save on milk because I’m cheap like that)
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
Sweetener to taste – I’ve been using a pinch of stevia or 1
tsp of truvia at the moment but maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, agave
nectar, date syrup, xylitol, monk fruit ect are all good choices.
Instructions:
For all the below combos simply stir together the
ingredients in a saucepan over medium – low heat for 3-5 minutes or till thickened
to liking. Alternatively, you can mix everything together in a bowl and
microwave for 2 minutes on high, stirring half way. Got that down? Great, let
us begin.
Chocolate & Strawberry Porridge
Simply throw in some chopped strawberries with an optional
drop of vanilla extract for a Valentines classic taste.
Chocolate & Pear Porridge
A mixture that some people may not think of but chocolate
and pear go together as well as chocolate and oats (don’t tell oats I said
that). For some added flair feel free to dust over a little sprinkle of
cinnamon.
Chocolate & Cherry Porridge (aka: Black Forest Oatmeal)
Who thought all this fruit would compliment chocolate so
well? Like with the strawberries, simply chop up some cherries and add in with
an optional drop or two of vanilla extract for oatmeal that is reminiscent of
cake. Cake!
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Swirl Oatmeal
My favourite of the bunch. Chocolate and peanut butter
porridge – like a Reese’s peanut butter cup in a bowl, heaven! Just add in a
tbsp of peanut butter (the more natural the better) or a serving of PB2
(powdered peanut butter) for the best way to start the day.
Chocolate & Hazelnut Porridge
If you like Nutella, this may be right up your street.
Simply toss in 1-2 tbsp of chopped, roasted hazelnuts into the porridge and
stir through before cooking. The roasted part is the key point here as it
improves the flavour of the hazelnuts by 300%. It’s not as intimidating as it
sounds either; I roasted mine by placing them on a baking sheet into a
pre-heated fan oven at 180 degrees Celsius and baking them for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. After this, I let them cool for a bit, wrapped them in a towel and gave them a thorough massaging to help rub the
skins off. I’m going to try and make hazelnut butter in the near future to really
try and get that Nutella texture.
Chocolate Mocha Oatmeal
For the days when you either need caffeine in order to face
the day or if you’re simply just craving Starbucks, this mocha oatmeal will
give you the boost you need. 1 tsp of coffee or espresso granules is all that
is required to jump start this chocolate base into action – I would also recommend
using milk for this porridge as well in order for a creamy latte effect.
Chocolate & Chili Oatmeal (aka: Mexican Chocolate Oats)
Need a kick in the morning? This will ignite a fire in your
belly – well it will depending on how many dried chili flakes you use. I went
for ¼ tsp stirred through because I’m a bit of a wimp but you can amp this up
to wherever you want on the Scoville scale depending on your preference. Whole dried
chilies or chili powder can also be used and although the combination of
chocolate and chill sounds a little kooky, trust me it’s a complete winner.
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