Wowza, I feel embarrassed about the lack of posts. My sincerest apologies, but I have much to show for my lack of appearance in the blogosphere. For instance, the completion of my Masters of Science in Clinical Nutrition! Fear not Salt & Pepper fans, I am back, and with many new, exciting topics to cover. If you have a suggestion, please feel free to comment below and I'll be sure to address.

This morning, I woke up thinking about grains. How I'd love to make an easy porridge utilizing a variety of whole grains packed with fiber and nutrition. I dug through the cupboards and found three varieties with different mouth feel and textures.

Grain #1: Good ol' Reliable Oats
Classic but a goodie; oats have a sweet flavor and almost never have their bran and germ removed during processing. I use regular oats in this recipe, but you ought to know there are quick and instant oats that exist as well. These are varieties that are steamed and flattened. But, if you like a nuttier, chewier texture, choose steel-cut oats. Steel-cut oats are the entire oat kernel and cook 20 minutes, unlike the others, which cook in less time.

Grain #2: Red Quinoa
You can find quinoa in some colors (purple, black, white & red) and taste mildly different from one another. I chose the red variety for this recipe being it has a crunchier bite and stark red color for a visual appeal. Most quinoa should be rinsed before cooking to remove saponins, which is used to ward off insects. An important unique quality about this grain, it's a complete protein that contains all essential amino acids (n=9). Typically, plant proteins are said to be incomplete, which is unlike this source.
Quinoa cooks in 10-12 minutes.

Grain #3: Farro
There are three species of farro, einkorn, emmer, and spelt (smallest to largest,
L-->R); all types of hulled wheat. Emmer considered higher quality for cooking than the other two grains. In this recipe, I chose emmer and cooked as follows:
1. bring large pot of salted water to a boil
2. add farro and cook until al dente (25-35 minutes)
3. pass through sieve

Homemade Porride My Way
Ingredients:
1 cup oats, cooked
1/3 cup red quinoa, cooked
1/2 cup farro, cooked
8 red raspberries
2 dollops Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp toasted pecans
1 tbsp hemp seeds

Instructions:
1. combine all grains (oats, quinoa, farro) in a mixing bowl and salt to taste
2. layer a bowl with the following (in this order), grains, raspberries, yoghurt, drizzled honey, topped with pecans and seeds.
3. eat with spoon

Honestly, this is super easy recipe that's full of fiber and tasty. Swap out the grains, fresh fruit and other varieties of nuts and you'll have a different porridge everyday.