Bulgur Porridge with Almond Milk and Toasted Almonds

Cooking porridge in almond milk makes it creamy and decadent--not to mention dairy free. I’ve found that the secret is to keep the heat low enough so the milk doesn’t boil. Homemade almond milk is ideal, but it’s still good with store-bought. Any soft fruit would be delicious on this—berries, peaches or whatever is in season that you love. This porridge is made with bulgur wheat, but for a gluten-free version, use quinoa instead.

serves:

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 cup bulgur wheat (or quinoa)

5 cups almond milk (preferably homemade, see Homemade Nut Milk, page 000), plus more for serving

Salt

1 cup fresh in-season fruit such (such as raspberries, blueberries, figs, peaches or apricots)

½ cup thinly sliced almonds toasted and coarsely chopped

WHAT TO DO:

Combine 4 cups of almond milk and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan and heat until the liquid begins to bubble around the edges. Reduce heat to low and add the bulgur like a slow rain (to avoid clumping), stirring with a wooden spoon as you add it. Cook the bulgur, stirring from time to time, until the grains are tender and the consistency of thick porridge, about 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup of almond milk to loosen consistency.

To serve, spoon the porridge into four bowls. Coarsely chop the toasted almonds. Top porridge with the fruit and nuts and serve with more almond milk on the side.

GAME CHANGER:

Toasted Nuts

After I discovered the delicious flavor of toasted nuts, I couldn’t go back to raw nuts. I toast nuts before sprinkling them on cereal, to snack on and to add to salads and baked goods. It’s really easy; the only hard part is remembering to take them out before you burn them! (Hint: use a timer.)

To toast nuts, preheat the oven to 325°F.

Scatter nuts on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until they are toasty-brown color and fragrant. (See times listed below.) I like to shake the pan once or twice during toasting time to make sure the nuts brown evenly. Remove the pan from the oven and let the nuts cool before packing them up.