1/2 c old fashioned oats
1/2 c vanilla soy milk
1/4 c pumpkin puree
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of cardamom
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 T agave syrup
Toppings (choose from pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, almond butter, peanut butter or raisins)

Blend everything but the toppings and oats into a puree. The Magic Bullet made quick work of this. Put the oats in a microwave safe bowl, stir in the mix you just blended up. Microwave until done, stirring every 30 seconds so the oats don’t overflow. This usually takes 60 seconds in my microwave. 

Top with some pumpkin seeds and craisins or maybe 1/2 T of almond butter and some raisins.

We usually think of bulgur as a dinner time grain, but today I decided to try it in place of my usual oatmeal for breakfast.  I made it in the rice cooker, but I am sure you could just as easily make this in a pan on the stovetop if you adjust the amount of water.

========== Orange Bulgur ==========

1 c uncooked bulgur wheat
1 3/4 c water
3 Tbsp orange juice frozen concentrate
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1/3 c dried cranberries (such as Craisins)
3/4 – 1 c soy milk (optional)

Add the bulgur, orange juice concentrate and water to a rice cooker. Start the cooker on the regular rice setting. Near the end of cooking, stir in the cranberries and sunflower seeds.  Serve topped with soy milk or almond milk.

Nutritional Information per serving, before adding soy milk: 300 Calories, 7 grams fat, 9 grams protein, 55 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams fiber

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When we were in China, most of the buffets we ate breakfast at would serve 3-5 types of congee. Its consistency can be thick like a porridge or thinner and watery.  I never knew what to expect until I lifted the lid of the huge rice cookers and looked inside. Usually all but one of them would have some type of meat in it: either bits or shavings of dried sea animals, broth from a chicken or maybe small pieces of pork.  These don’t appeal to me, so I chose the plain type unless there happened to be one with only peas or carrots in it. My daughter also preferred it plain. 

I wanted to make some congee for my daughter, but wondered, “Can it be made with brown rice?”  As you may know, we use whole foods as much as possible in my kitchen. White rice is stripped of the bran and some of the fiber and nutrients are removed with that, therefore we use brown rice.  I found a recipe and added some additional water. It turned out fine, although it probably took longer to cook than white rice. I didn’t notice though, since it happened while I was sleeping.

========== Plain Brown Rice Congee ==========

1 rice-cooker cup of brown rice (equals 3/4 cup in regular American measurements)
5 cups water

Before going to bed, add the ingredients to your rice cooker and start it up with the porridge setting.  The congee will be ready in the morning.

Note: We use a 5.5 cup Zojirushi Fuzzy Logic type of cooker.

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OK, so that’s not much of a recipe. The fun is in what you choose to add to it. If you want to be more adventurous, feel free to throw in whatever you like. Maybe cinnamon, maple syrup and some raisins similar to how you might prepare oatmeal in the West. Perhaps vegetables, green onions, ginger and soy sauce if you’re having your rice porridge at dinner time?  If you need more ideas, I’ve heard reference to a Qing Dynasty manual written by Huang Yungu which lists over 200 ways to make congee.  Maybe some of those ideas have been translated to English?

My daughter still prefers her congee plain and just finished two bowls of it for breakfast.  Now she’s moved on to dessert – a banana.  I think I’ll try mine in a way sure to make most Chinese people cringe. I’m adding dried cranberries, fresh peaches and a few drops of vanilla extra today.