Miso Porridge & GNOWFGLINS Tuesday Twister

Yes, yes, yes - I know it is now Wednesday morning... better late than never, right?  Yesterday I started the eCourse at GNOWFGLINS (Wardeh rocks!), and this morning I was having fun reading through the Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival on her site.  After eating my most delicious miso porridge this morning, I decided to jump in!

Here is all that is left of my miso porridge:

 

 It was warm and creamy and earthy and oh-so-delicious on this cold, rainy, morning!  Sorry I didn't take any "before" pictures, but I was half asleep and rather hungry this morning.  In fact, I think my recipe was supposed to be for two servings, but I gobbled it up all by myself!

Last night I put 1/2 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats (steel cut oats would be perfect for this recipe, but I didn't have any on hand) and 1 cup of filtered water into a small saucepan.  I cooked it for a couple of minutes until all the water was absorbed by the oats.  Then I removed the pan from the heat and let it all cool down.  Once cool (maybe 15-20 minutes or so?), I mixed in 1 Tablespoon of mellow white miso paste, put the lid on the pan, and left it to sit overnight.  (edited to add: be sure to really cook the water & oats well so that the oats are very thick before you add in the miso; the miso will break down the oat mixture so that it will become a much more soupy mixture, especially if you leave too much water in it the night before)

This morning the miso-oatmeal porridge was runny and fragrant with that earthy miso smell (I love that smell).  I put the pan over low heat and let the porridge warm up until it steamed, but not boiled.  Then I put a dollop of fresh grass-fed butter on top, swirled it into the porridge, and dug in.  YUM!  You could add some honey, maple syrup, or any other natural sweetener to the porridge, but I loved the savory and buttery flavor without it.  I could even taste a hint of natural sweetness in it - from either the oatmeal or the miso or both?

Miso oatmeal porridge is an excellent addition to my breakfast repertoire, and I will be making it again and again.  I think I am going to research recipes that use other grains in the miso porridge - millet, brown rice, etc.  If anyone ever reads this and has any recipes to share, I'm all ears!

Evening update - miso porridge & more wait time for the beet kvass...

I did some reading on some other "nourishing" blogs this evening (recommended reading: Kim at The Nourishing Cook) and have decided to let the beet kvass sit in the refrigerator for an extra week before I drink it.  The extra time allows the flavor to mellow and a little fizz to build up.  Sounds good to me!

Tomorrow morning I'm going to try Sally Fallon's recipe for miso porridge for the first time.  For over a year now I have been a huge fan of her basic breakfast porridge recipe in "Nourishing Traditions."  I'm looking forward to trying this new (for me) variation on porridge.

I think it's funny that as a kid I despised oatmeal.  However, one bite of creamy, old-fashioned, soaked oatmeal topped with fresh butter and cream and ~swoon~ I fell in love.  If you think you hate oatmeal, give the porridge recipes in "Nourishing Traditions" a try.  You may just find your new favorite breakfast food.  Plus, you'll be surprised at what a "fast food" soaked oatmeal really is!

Beet Kvass

 

Yesterday I finally found organic beets and the confidence to once again try making fermented foods.  I don't know why fermented foods intimidate me, other than the possible reasons that I was raised to fear microbes and un-refrigerated or unpreserved foods!  Silly fears aside, I proceeded to make my beet kvass from Sally Fallon's recipe in "Nourishing Traditions."

In "Nourishing Traditions" Sally Fallon says that beet kvass

is valuable for its medicinal qualities and as a digestive aid.  Beets are just loaded with nutrients.  One 4-ounce glass, morning and night, is an excellent blood tonic, promotes regularity, aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver and is a good treatment for kidney stones and other ailments.

~whew~ All that from one little drink!  How could I not try it?  So here's what I did:

 

I gathered my ingredients: organic beets, sea salt, whey (from my homemade yogurt), and spring water.  I also had my copy of "Nourishing Traditions" handy and a clean half-gallon mason jar.

I peeled the beets (such gorgeous color!),

 

 coarsely chopped them,

and put them in the 2-quart mason jar with 1 Tbs sea salt, 1/4 cup whey, and

 

enough spring water to fill the jar.

 

I put the top on the jar, and now the good bacteria is working its magic.  After two days I will put the beet kvass in the refrigerator.  Sally Fallon says that after this batch is consumed, I can fill it one more time with spring/filtered water for another nourishing batch.  I will keep you updated on my results.

I'm back! (not that I was ever really established to start)

I feel a little like those astronomers in "Contact" - just blindly sending signals out into space.  Fellow foodies, nutrition & health seekers, fans of "Nourishing Traditions" - I know you are out there somewhere!  Somehow we'll find each other, I'm sure of it.

Anyway, I am embarking on an exciting journey.  Tomorrow is the beginning of an eCourse with Wardeh at GNOWFGLINS.  I am also following several other bloggers who are also embracing a "Nourishing Traditions" lifestyle.  So I hope to become a regular blogger myself; adding my experiences and adaptations of a more nourishing way of eating and living.  I promise to take pictures and post regularly.

Until tomorrow, I wish you health, happiness, and nourishing traditions!