Peaches and Cream Gluten-Free Porridge

On cold winter mornings in Toronto, nothing calls to my foodie soul more than a warm bowl of porridge. And despite my recent med-school-induced emotional eating binges, I do enjoy sticking to my paleo roots, which entails minimal grain eating, save for occasional rice and gluten-free treats.

So what to do? Eat a porridge made of rice! It’s much less irritating to the tummy and whole body than gluten-containing grains.

Ingredients for One:

• 1/2 cup Bob Red Mills Brown Rice Porridge (though white rice would be even less irritating!)
• 1 1/2 Cups water
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup frozen peach slices
• 1/4 Cup coconut milk 
• 1 TBSP maple syrup
• 1 TSP cinnamon
• 1 TBSP or more nut and seeds of your choice, best soaked overnight and drained

Follow cooking instructions on the package for the porridge, adding a pinch of sea salt to the water. When it is nearly cooked to the consistency you want, add in the peaches so that they thaw. I let them sit in the pot with the lid on for a minute on the burner, then remove from heat but continue to let it sit five minutes. Add in “cream” coconut milk, syrup, cinnamon, nuts and seeds, stir well, and serve.

This is a great way to get warm fruits into your system which are better for digestion than cold ones this time of year, as well as warming cinnamon that also helps regulate blood sugar levels. Coconut milk is a good source of fats that are quickly used for energy, and nuts and seeds add a protein kick. You could also try adding a scoop of protein powder to up the ante. I wasn’t that courageous yet!

Enjoy this gut-friendly version of Peaches and Cream Porridge :D

**Edit: I tried this with Metagenics medical food powder in Vanilla (we ND students get so many samples) and it made my porridge taste like birthday cake!