Chef and Instagrammer Alannah Sheehan joined RTÉ Radio 1 to share her tips for jazzing up your daily porridge, her guide to making porridge bread, and a recipe for a healthy and a not-so-healthy granola. Listen back above.
For Alannah, porridge is a ‘hero food’. Not only is it affordable and accessible, but it has a long shelf-life and is incredibly easy to make.
“All you have to do is add as little as water,” she tells Brendan O’Connor. “It’s so versatile, you can make so many different things from it.”
While water will indeed do the job, Alannah prefers using milk to make it as delicious and filling as possible.
To take “the misery out of porridge”, as Brendan puts it, she recommends adding a variety of toppings such as jam, chocolate, chopped nuts, mango, peanut butter, or even some chocolate milk instead of your usual milk.
In recent years, overnight oats have become a popular option for those needing a quick but substantial breakfast on the go. Simply soak the oats in yoghurt and milk, as well as the toppings of your choosing.
To make Alannah’s gingerbread oats, add vanilla, cinnamon, raisins, ginger and a little nutmeg. In the morning, take your oats out of the fridge and pop some granola on top.
If you want to go all out, you can add in some stewed apple, which is great for gut health.
Gingerbread Oats
100g oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
Pinch of sea salt
1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
1 ¼ tsp ginger
50g raisins
20g desiccated coconut
1 tbsp maple syrup
120 ml plain yogurt
160ml coconut milk
160ml plant-based milk
Method
Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Grab 4 of your favourite glasses or jars. Leave overnight in the fridge to work its magic.
I like to serve this with a little granola on top for added texture. It’s also extra delicious with a little stewed apple on top.
Simply peel 2 or 3 apples. Chop into chunks, add to a saucepan with a little water and let simmer until soft. You can use a blender to puree if you like.
When it comes to making porridge bread, Alannah says you need only three ingredients: oats, yoghurt, and baking soda. The straight forward nature of the recipe means that it’s a great one to get kids involved in!
Porridge Bread
450g Porridge oats or oat flour (ground oats)
500ml Plain Natural or Greek yoghurt
2tsp Baking soda
Method
Line a standard loaf tin with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 180.
Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl until a thick wet dough forms.
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes roughly or until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped and the top is golden brown.
Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
If you can’t stand porridge, but would like to try your hand at granola, Alannah has two recipes – one decadent and one more pared back.
Simple Granola
150g oats
200g mixed nuts
150g Pumpkin/ Sunflower seeds
50g Desiccated coconut/ Coconut flakes
5tbsp Neutral tasting oil
4tbsp Agave/Honey
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
Pinch of sea salt
Method
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
Line an oven-proof tray with parchment paper. Fill with the granola mixture and bake in a preheated oven at 180 for 20-25 minutes, giving a toss halfway through. Use 2 trays if necessary.
Leave to cool and store in an airtight container.
Decadent Granola
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 handfuls of mixed chopped nuts (unsalted)
4 tbsp oats
Olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
Pinch of chili flakes
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme / 3 sage leaves
1 ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
Method
Roughly chops the nuts. Heat the olive oil in a small pan.
Once hot, add the nuts, seeds, oats and thyme/ sage and cook off for 4 minutes while tossing to prevent burning.
Once done turn off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients and toss together. Leave in the pot to cool and then transfer to a jar or and airtight container. This will keep for up to 2 weeks.