'Nooks and Crannies' hot breakfast cereal RECIPE

We get feedback sometimes that our posts are too garden-specific and, for people who aren't gardeners they wonder what they can do to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. Well, here's a recipe for the hot cereal mix that we eat almost every morning.

We named the cereal mix 'Nooks and Crannies' because it seems to meet so many of our nutritional needs. After a bowl of it we feel incredibly sated and it gives us slow-burning fuel that lasts the morning. Our philosophy is to try and get as many nutrients (and as few toxins!) from the food we eat so we lean towards whole foods with the least amount of processing. We mainly buy organically grown foods and everything we grow is, of course, also organic. We also try to eat a variety of foods so that the micro-nutrients that are low in one food might be filled in by eating something else. (LINK: Why We Grow and Eat "Organic" Food )

This post contains the recipe for making 'Nooks and Crannies' cereal including a list of ingredients (all 31 of them!) followed by instructions for making your own pre-ground seed/nut mix. Enjoy!

Kassaby sorghum - sweet and nutty in flavor. (LINK: Grow your own Sorghum for grain and flour )

Honestly, the recipe for making the cereal itself isn't much different from what most people make and eat; grains and dried fruit.  What really sets Nooks and Crannies apart are all the toppings we add after the cereal is cooked.  Here are some ideas to make your experience truly deluxe! 

One of the unusual ingredients we add to our cereal is dried Lion's Mane mushroom. LINK: Health Benefits of Lion's Mane)

Nooks and Crannies special toppings: These are all added after cooking (to preserve their maximal nutritional value).   

pre-ground seed and nut mix - our current mix contains nine ingredients - all organically grown seeds and nuts. We pre-grind and pre-mix it so, at the time of making the cereal, we just put a TBSP on each serving of cereal (to make your own, see below).
dried and powdered turmeric - scant 1/8 tsp. - this is purported to provide anti-inflammatory relief (and a host of other benefits). We bought a big bag of it when we found it on sale but then found that its flavor got in the way of us using it regularly. By adding just this tiny amount to our cereal, it doesn't affect the flavor and we figure that having a tiny bit each day is better than none at all.
dried and powdered lion's mane mushrooms - scant 1/8 tsp. - though not as strong flavored as the turmeric and touted as having equally impressive health benefits (particularly for the neurological system) we just weren't eating it! So, now we get a little bit almost daily with our cereal.
dried coconut flour - 1 TBSP per serving - adds sweetness and protein
maple syrup - for many people, the dried fruit will make your cereal plenty sweet but we still like to add maple syrup after cooking
soy milk and/or nut milk - we've gone through phases of making our own but can't seem to use it fast enough to balance out the hassle of prep-time. It's frustrating when it spoils before we use it up and we have to throw some of it away. So for now, we settle for commercial soy and nut milks.

Making the cereal: As I mentioned above, the base for Nooks and Crannies is grains and dried/frozen fruit. (left: Llyn with home-grown blue corn)

I make the cereal in two steps: The first step is to cook the grains and dried fruits together. After they're done, I add a bunch more toppings (above).

As a rule of thumb, you'll want about 2 -parts water to 1-part dry ingredients. I start out with a 2:1 ratio but usually end up adding more water while the cereal simmers. I always start with, and add heated water so as not to retard the cooking process. 

The key to swift morning prep-time is to have some of the ingredients pre-ground and pre-mixed  - the grain mix and the seed/nut mix (see below). This makes the daily prep much faster as we just need a scoop or spoonful of each.

We have all the ingredients stored close together in jars with lids so I can just open each one and add a handful to the pot. The frozen fruits are also kept in jars; I just find it easier to open and close a jar than to mess with freezer bags (that zip closed) or twist-ties (which aren't air-tight).

So I go down the line of jars and add everything to the pot. The only thing I actually use a measuring cup for is the grain-mix (corn and sorghum). Everything else I just scoop out little (or big!) handfuls with my hands. You'll find what works best for you.

If time is an issue in your morning routine, pre-soak the grains and fruit overnight and add some hot water in the morning and simmer till done.

Basic recipe: (serves two adults)

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup pre-mixed cornmeal/medium-ground sorghum (We grow, grind and pre-mix this combo. If you don't have access to a grain-grinder, just buy the grains ahead of time and pre-mix them in the following ratio: 1 part each: blue corn meal, yellow corn meal, sorghum meal)
3/4 cup dried/frozen fruits and other goodies (for ideas, see below)
2 cups hot water
Add a pinch of salt
Pour hot water on dry ingredients, stir, cover and place on very low heat, simmering for 10-20 minutes.
Add more hot water if it's getting too thick, stirring occasionally.
After 10-20 minutes of simmering, turn heat off and leave covered for another 10 min. It will continue to cook.
Add Nooks and Crannies special toppings (listed above) and serve.

 Ideas for dried fruits and other goodies: Just choose a combination that pleases you -about 3/4 cup total. Here's what we use:
    raisins - (pictured left: the year we made raisins out of our own grapes. Very time-consuming and not worth it. Now we buy them but we could make them if we had to...)
    dried pears
    dried figs
    dried date pieces coated in oat flour - (these are found in the bulk section)
    prunes - I read somewhere that a few of these a day is especially good for bone density...We all know the other health benefit their known for...regularity!
    dried bananas  - Sometimes bananas will be sold at a huge discount if they become too ripe so we dehydrate a bunch of them for later use.  

Other goodies: these I also add before cooking...
dried shredded coconut - just a small handful
cacao nibs -  they're a bit bitter but highly nutritious so I just put about 1 rounded teaspoon per double person serving.
frozen blueberries or strawberries - (left: strawberries from our garden, frozen on a tray. They are SO full of flavor!)

After 10-20 minutes of simmering, turn heat off and leave covered for another 10 min. It will continue to cook.
Add bonus toppings (listed above) and serve.

Sorghum drying. We grow our own, dry it and grind it for cereal and baking.

Pre-ground seed mix: (Added after the grains and fruits are cooked - 1 TBSP per serving) As mentioned above, we save on morning prep-time by having the following ingredients pre-ground and mixed. Seeds are incredibly nutrient-dense. They need to be as they hold everything the little plant needs to get started in life! Be sure and consume only organically grown seeds...Better for you; better for the Earth.

We pre-grind and pre-mix this combo in advance and freeze the surplus. Seeds (and nuts), once ground can lose a lot of their nutrients quickly if exposed to air or heat. 

We use an electric coffee-grinder to grind the seeds. We have one that is specifically dedicated to this so it doesn't pick up the taste of coffee. Of the following list, the only thing we grow ourselves are the two kinds of amaranth (Right: Llyn with Hopi Red Dye Amaranth). Everything else is store-bought. We buy them in bulk. As you'll see, almost half the mix is composed of flax seeds.

A tip for grinding: Measure out all the seeds and combine in a bowl or large measuring cup. Mix them well and scoop out the amount that fits in your grinder. Grind, and pour into another bowl. Scoop more/grind/pour etc. By mixing the flax seeds in with the other seeds the grinder won't get as bogged down with the seeds that are high in oils (especially sesame seeds). Store in airtight containers in your fridge or freezer.

Here's the combo of seeds we use:

4 parts flax seeds -  We love their flavor; they're great for digestion and give a sense of bulk/fluff to the cereal. I can't even remember all the reasons they're good for you (but there are a lot of them!) so that's why it forms the foundation of the seed mix.
2 parts pumpkin seeds - raw, unsalted
2 parts sunflower seeds - raw, unsalted
1 part sesame seeds - we use the brown ones as they've not had their hulls removed so they are more nutritious than the white ones
1 part hemp hearts - these are soft, inner parts of the hemp seeds after removing the outer shell/hull - highly nutritious. (Be sure to get the hulled seeds as those that still have their seed coating are a bit bitter. LINK)
1 part chia seeds
1/2 part poppy seeds
1/2 part Golden Amaranth - we grow this ourselves - sweet and nutty flavored
1/2 part Hopi Red Dye amaranth - this doesn't taste as sweet as the Golden amaranth but it volunteers all over our garden so we might as well harvest, dry it and eat it!

Grain mix: (cooked with rolled oats and dried fruit) (right: Daimant grain mill we use to grind our corn and sorghum).

We grow, process and grind the blue corn, yellow corn and sorghum ourselves. We grind them courser than a flour...more like a "meal" (we like the texture and at this level of coarseness it doesn't take too long to cook).

We grind and mix up a few gallons of this grain mix at a time and store half of it in the fridge to maintain freshness. The other half, we keep outside the fridge for easy access when we're assembling the morning cereal.

2 parts ground blue corn - (higher in protein than yellow corn meal; turns your cereal a delightful purple!) (LINK: Grow Your Own 'Blue Corn' ) (left: Llyn with dried blue corn, before grinding)
2 parts ground yellow corn
1 part Kassaby sorghum - sweet, long-season sorghum
1 part BaYeKi sorghum - not as sweet; used primarily for baking (LINK: Grow your own Sorghum for grain and flour)

This post isn't meant to suggest a rigid rule for making 'Nooks and Crannies' but to inspire you in your own breakfast cereal creations. Enjoy!