Coconut Date Porridge

I've been on a coconut kick lately, if you haven't noticed by my past few posts. These days I use coconut oil more than I do olive oil, because it's such a creamy, silken oil to work with. I like it better for high-heat cooking, more than any other oil.

This morning, I was in the mood for porridge. I'd recently gotten some bulk medjool dates for a pie crust I'll be making soon, so I thought I'd try this out.

Now, normally I work recipes from scratch, but I had to showcase this hot cereal mix. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal is just amazing. I was gifted it by a friend awhile back, and I fell completely in love. Not only is it a easy mix to prepare, but the mix of brown rice, corn, buckwheat and sorghum gives the bowl a rich, gooey feel on the tongue. Paired with coconut oil and dates, I think I might just be in porridge heaven.

Coconut Date Porridge

1 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal
3 1/4 c. water
2 Tb. coconut oil
2 Tb. dark maple syrup (B grade, or No. 2)
12 pitted medjool dates, chopped, 1 Tb. reserved
1 1/2 cups coconut water
1/4 tsp. cinnamon, for garnish
pinch salt

In a pot, bring water and salt to a boil. Add cereal and mix in, then immediately turn the heat down to low. Cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should make about 2 1/2 cups.

Add coconut oil, maple syrup, dates, and coconut water into pot, and incorporate thoroughly. Divide into two bowls, and garnish with reserved dates and cinnamon.

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I actually made this as one serving for myself, so I did the mixing in my own bowl. As I pushed the tablespoons of coconut oil and maple syrup into my porridgey mass, I found this:

Coco-maple love! :D

When I showed this picture to Jeremy, he gave me a funny look and asked me if it was an egg! It kinda does look like a teeny quail egg or something, I have to admit. :) Too bad it was a couple days late for Valentine's Day. It would have been so perfect.

As a side note: Last time I made this hot cereal, I made a HUGE batch of it plain, and put the leftover bits in the fridge. That night, I was feeling like having polenta, but I had all of that ready-made, so I scooped spoonfuls out (it was quite firm) onto a cookie sheet and drizzled them with olive oil, and baked until they turned golden. I served them with a hearty red wine and herb marinara, and it was delicious! A great alternative to normal polenta, and spooning them out rather than cutting chunks or rounds gave them an extra rustic feel. Perhaps I should make that again tonight and post it here... Hmm...

Also! I joined another blogroll the "Great Cooks!" Blogroll from Simple Daily Recipes. I've been going through the other blogs, and I'm getting SO many ideas for new recipes! I'm very excited. I love Blogrolls! :D