Dairy Free Apple Porridge

Now the mornings are colder I really like a warm breakfast to set me up for the day. I normally would have porridge/oatmeal but as I haven't been eating dairy I kind of dismissed it as an option. Until I remembered that oats cooked in apple juice taste so great that you don't even feel like you are missing out. Even if you can eat dairy this makes a really yummy alternative if you don't fancy something as rich as oatmeal made with milk or cream. I like to add a handful of dried fruit and nuts to add texture and keep me feeling full for longer. I like cranberries and almonds or dried pears and walnuts but whatever you like should be good. I also like using other apple based juices such as apple and raspberry or apple and mango for a more summery version.

I have been meaning to talk about oats and whether they are suitable for those with coeliac disease as although I always thought oats contained gluten I have been seeing packets of rolled oats that state they are gluten free. When I looked into this I found that the reason that most oats aren't classed as gluten free is due to contamination during processing rather than the oats themselves. In summary it seems that some coeliacs can tolerate oats classed as gluten free i.e non contaminated oats. The decision to eat oats is really a personal one which should be made with the help of your health care professionals but if in doubt, leave it out of your diet. If you would like to know more then here is a link to the Coeliac UK's advice as well as a summary of previous research on www.celiac.com. I will be posting an alternative warm sweet breakfast idea for those who don't eat oats shortly. 

Dairy Free Apple Porridge (Serves 1)

Vegan, vegetarian, dairy free (can be gluten free -see above)

Ingredients

50g/ 1.8oz/1/2 cup Rollled oats (uncontaminated gluten free oats if coeliac)

100-120ml/3.5floz/1/2cup Apple juice, preferably cloudy and unsweetened

1/4 to 1/2tsp Ground cinnamon or ginger or mixed spice

1-2tbs Your choice of dried fruit and nuts, chopped into bite sized pieces

Method

• Mix together the oats, juice and spices and either place in a pot and heat to boiling point and simmer for a couple of minutes or microwave for 3 minutes or according to the oats packaging. Add more juice if you prefer a runnier consistency. Top with the dried fruit and nuts and serve warm. 
• If you prefer you can make a bigger batch and keep it in the fridge until it needs reheating.