It’s funny how for years I thought I needed coffee and a muffin for breakfast- it was my ilixer to have a latte. Can you relate? This was my biggest fear of eating alkaline — missing my oh, so, yummy dairy lattes! Well….Guess what? I survived! I more than survived! I got beyond the whole coffee milk latte in the morning thing so well that now I could never imagine not juicing for breakfast and then enjoying a hearty bowl of hot spelt porridge with all the fixin’s! I still enjoy the occasional decaf almond milk latte for a treat (esp the one from Urth Cafe in LA when I visit a friend-yum) but there is no craving or need for a pick me up because I no longer suffer from the sugar highs and lows that I used to.
I bet you are wondering what’s so dang healthy about spelt porridge? Well… spelt is not a stored grain like most other main stream grains and the benefit to this is that the likelihood of it having the degree of molds from storage in grain elevators for months or years is minimal. If you can get your spelt from a local source you are rockin! It is also beneficial if you add all the fixings like the hemp nuts and seeds that will supply you with omegas, proteins, and a wealth of nutrients to give you the energy boost for the day. Ideally one has juiced and consumed a large serving of vegetable juice (I will feature this recipe soon) before digging into this tasty bowl of goodness providing your digestion with the needed enzymes to process this mildy acid recipe. So there, I had to show you what I get excited about in the morning!
Look! Look, how yummy this is! I don’t have it everyday but when I do it makes me very, very happy. I often mix it up with different seeds and berries but any which way, it tastes divine! Here’s the recipe! Each time I make it for a friend they rave– I wish I could just serve you up a bowl right now!
Spelt Porridge
Yield: 1 serving
1 cup filtered water
1/3 cup thin flaked spelt ( the thick oatmeal like flakes take way longer to cook and are not creamy like these thin, partially powdered flakes so keep looking til you find them- you won’t regret it)
cinnamon to taste
powdered stevia or agave syrup to taste
1/4 tsp alcohol free vanilla
2-3 tbsp dried cherries or cranberries
Toppings
raw nuts, seeds, hemp nuts, fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or strawberries
1/2c unsweetened almond, hazelnut, hemp or rice milk
Method
Combine the first 6 ingredients and simmer for 3-4 mins over medium heat and then pour into a nice broad shallow bowl. This allows you to sprinkle lots of goodies on the surface and gives it an opportunity to cool easier than in a smaller, deeper bowl. Pour a non dairy milk on top (my fave is almond or even hazelnut if you can find it and this will further cool it and make it even tastier! Then dig in!
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{ 17 comments }
This looks soooo good! I just bought a bag of spelt kernels, and this is the first thing I’ll be making! (ever! I’ve never cooked with spelt before) But the berry extravaganza has to be saved for weekends, after all, I’m just a poor student 😉
Ps: Beautiful blog and photos! Everything looks so delicious! I’ll be back 🙂
Thanx Malin:) FYI the spelt that I use for this recipe is flaked not kernel so it will be quite different. The kernel will be more like a rice that has quite a firm chew to it and takes about 40-60 mins to cook. The spelt flakes I used in this recipe cook up in 3-4 mins with water and become creamy like oatmeal. Both are yummy but very different. Spelt flakes can often be found in your local health food store in bulk bins or prepackaged. They are also different from steel cut or rolled spelt as this is like an oatmeal but a large flake that takes longer to cook up as well. Hope this will clarify your use of the spelt kernels you bought. I use our spelt kernels as an extra grain in our rice dishes, 1/2 spelt and 1/2 brown rice and it adds a really nice firm texture to any dish. Enjoy and thanx for stopping by.
I was just wondering where in victoria you can get spelt i have been looking for it for ages and have resulted to oats:(
Cassie try Planet Organic at Mckenzie & Quadra or Lifestyles markets:)
Hi Julie,
Raised in Bonnie Scotland, I was forced to eat porridge because my mum insisted that it kept the cold out (rubbish I know), so I cannot BEAR porridge or the notion of anything resembling it. But, I have no issue with eating spelt in the raw form. It’s pretty good. I make a spelt, organic meusli with it. That, with one tart green smoothie, and some organic coconut oil (in liquid form) is a pretty satisfying breakfast.
Hi Bonnie, good on you, the smoothie is what really helps digest the spelt making for a good balanced meal and providing good energy for you, especially if you have lots of raw green in it. The coconut oil is excellent but you could also add in Udo’s oil to get your omega-3 fatty acids that coconut oil doesn’t have. I love the spelt porridge but I am now even more into millet porridge but I haven’t posted a recipe for it yet, but soon! Thanks for your comments:)
This is similar to what i have! I also do one with roasted buckwheat 🙂 Yum. What are your thoughts on food combining fruits & nuts?
Lyndee, buckwheat is sooo yummy isn’t it? RE fruits and nuts, from my research and from my digestive experience nuts seem fine especially with citrus which is an acid fruit, and fine with other acid and sub-acid fruits – here are the lists of fruits;
Sub acid: Pineapples, Strawberries, Pomegranates, Apples, Sour Grapes, Sour Peaches, Sour Plums, Sour Cherries
Sweet Apples
Acid Fruits Apricots, Blueberries, Sweet Peaches, Pears, Sweet Plums, Raspberries, Sweet Cherries, Papayas, Cherimoyas, Blackberries, Mangos, Figs
Sweet Fruits– NOT to be combined with Nuts; Bananas, Persimmons, All Sweet Grapes, All dried fruits
Opinions do differ so do your own research too!
I hope this helps:)
Hi Julie. I find your blog really amazing. I’ve been on acid-alkaline diet for one month and results are really superb. I am also looking for great recipes since I am new to this and need some help at the start. So far I’ve seen that persons who follow the indexes of alkalinity and acidity of products also try to match them according to food compatibility charts. One of the basic rule is not to combine grains with protein. Although this combination is tasty, it might not be as favorable as we would like to from the perspective of food combination principles. Therefore I would like to know whether you take into consideration the food compatibility chart/principle or mainly base on the alkalinity index of the products?
Hi Zelma, Thank you:) Yes I certainly do take food compatibility/combining into concern especially for animal proteins and grains which are a very poor combination. I am less concerned with a little bit of fruit with greens in a salad or in juicing or smoothies although most fruit should be eaten alone, it isn’t too bothersome in very small quantities with high water content veggies. Good food combining means proper digestion and less likely hood of fermentation in your stomach which can cause many problems and is considered the root of many diseases. Meat with fruit is also a lethal combination that causes huge digestion problems as well. Dr.Robert O. Young’s book The pH Miracle is an excellent source of information for optimal alkaline living but he also addresses food combining and the consideration of yeast, fungus and mold being the root of all disease and how to avoid these at every expense to eliminate disease and symptoms. Thanks for your comment and Happy New Year:)
Julie, thank you for the explanation! I also have a ”gut feeling” that some light combinations (like this one in your recipe) perhaps is not a lethal one and if sometimes we take a small step aside from very strict principles then perhaps it won’t do such a harm. I have read few recipes from Young’s book (they were placed in Snyderhealth.com) and also theory of acid-alkaline balance. Still there is so much to dig! 🙂
One thing I am still wondering about is buckwheat. Some sources list it as a grain, yet it is much different from wheat, oat, rice etc. containing lot of starch. I know that in Ayurveda buckwheat is considered a non-grain. Have you ever come across this question before? Just would like to know more about it.
So, thank you again for this beautiful and delicious-looking and tasting recipes’ section. Your blog seems to become one of my favorites for sure. Happy,Healthy and Tasty New Year!
Zelma, yes there is sooo much to learn about alkaline living, I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning. Dr. Robert O. Young has been studying for 40 years!! RE: the buckwheat it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel and it is gluten-free. It is packed with all eight amino acids along with manganese, magnesium, fiber and all the B vitamins. It also contains flavanoids that may inhibit cancer as well as assisting in strengthening your capillaries and circulation consequently reducing varicose veins. Buckwheat is a great blood builder because of it’s high iron content and an excellent brain food for it’s lecithin. By not cooking it as some do to make groats, you preserve the beneficial nutrients. Buckwheat is gluten free, does not create a peak in blood sugar levels thus is a good choice for diabetics and can help to combat high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It’s a winner all around! Choose the raw buckwheat not the kashi which is actually toasted. I have recipes on my blog for a few things if you use the search tool and enter buckwheat.
Happy New Year to you too:)
The recipe sounds divine, however I don’t get the berries? Isn’t acidic? Forgive my ignorance…I’m new to this.
Hi Julie: Could you poste a recipe for healthy millet porridge. I’d like to have it for my breakfast. Can I use flaked quinoa for this recipe. I love so much your site. Thanks. Sonia
Hi Sonia
this is the recipe I already have posted for the millet porridge
Go easy on adding any fruit as it’s not ideal combo esp if digestion is compromised at all. Quinoa flakes are thinner and may cook faster= perhaps check pkg for instructions. They sound nice. More refined than quinoa but a bit quicker. I do have a quinoa porridge under recipes in a red bowl.
Great website and awesome recipes. Thank you!
Hi Julie,
I am a huge meal-prepper! Can this spelt porridge be made like you would overnight oats? Or do you know how they hold up in the fridge? For instance, say I made a large batch to eat throughout the week. I usually don’t have time to really sit and eat breakfast let alone make it everyday. After my morning run or workout it’s tough to make time. Thanks in advance! Amanda
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