Multi-Grain Cereal with Yogurt and Jungle Honey
One of the foods that I have missed a lot since living here in the jungle is a good whole grain cereal to eat for breakfast. Since the closest thing I can find in the local stores is oatmeal or cream of wheat, I decided long ago that the only way to solve this lack was to figure out how to make it myself.
I began a few years ago looking and asking about the grains and seeds that are available in the market.
Over the years I tried various blends and ways of cooking, but it wasn’t until recently, when I bought a Crock Pot, that I finally hit on a blend of grains and seeds and a procedure that would produce an excellent Multi-Grain Cereal.
Multi-Grain Cereal with Yogurt and Jungle Honey
Ingredients:
Wheat Berries
Barley
Brown Rice
Oatmeal
Flax Seeds
Corn Meal
Sesame Seeds
Cinamon
Almond slices
Raisins
Procedure:
N.B. Start this at night to have cereal ready for breakfast in the morning.
1. Put a handful of wheat berries and a handful of barley in a grinder / blender of some sort and blend for a couple of minutes. It is not necessary to grind them up completely … I do it mostly to crack the hard grains up a bit so they cook easier.
2. Pour cracked grains into a 2 cup measure and start adding handfuls of the other grains one by one, finishing off with a good spoonful of cinnamon. I also happened to have this big bag of Nopal and Linaza that a volunteer left here recently, so I’ve been throwing in a couple of big spoonfuls of that for additional health and flavor benefits.
3. Pour the 2-cup measure of grains into a Crockpot. Add 4 cups of boiling water and stir.
4. DO NOT turn on the crockpot. Put the cover on and leave it soaking for the night. I leave the almonds and the raisins close by to have them handy in the morning.
5. At 4 a.m.(or 3 hours before you want to eat the cereal), add a handful or two of the almond slices and the raisins along with 2 more cups of boiling water. Turn Crock Pot to high and leave for 3 hours.
6. Spoon into bowl and top with a generous dollop of home made yogurt and a strong drizzle of raw jungle honey.
Verdict:
I have made it several times now and usually eat it several mornings per week for breakfast. I love it. I find it has a satisfying chewy whole-grainy kind of texture … a bit of crunch from the almonds and seeds with a nice burst of sweet with the raisins. With a topping of creamy home made yogurt and hearty jungle honey, you can’t find a more healthy breakfast.