homemade hot cereal with mango & coconut

I don't like instant oatmeal. Blech. It comes in those brown paper bags, all dry and dusty. You pour boiling water over it to form a paste. It's grey, lumpy. It's either full of sugar and weird flavours (creamy peach?) or totally bland. Whatever is left in the bowl gets completely stuck - even after it has been in the dishwasher. Why does that happen? Anyway, I digress.

What I am into is making your own healthy (and not grey or pasty) hot cereal at home. This recipe for a warming, homemade hot cereal combines a few different grains and seeds that are full of Omega 3, Omega 6, protein, calcium, vitamin E, vitamin B, magnesium, fibre and lots of other good things. It is also delicious - flavoured with mango, tons of coconut and sweet spicy cardamom AND it happens to be vegan. While it may not be instant, you could certainly cook this up the night before , or in the morning, and just pour the hot coconut milk over top when you get to work.

Ingredients

3 cup quick cooking rolled oats

3 cups rolled wheat flakes

1 cup quinoa flakes

1/4 cup flax seeds

1 cup hemp hearts

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup boiling water

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp pure coconut extract

1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

1 mango - diced

2 tsp maple syrup or coconut sugar

1/4 cup hot coconut milk

1 tbsp golden raisins

Method

1. in a large jar, combine rolled quick cooking oats, rolled wheat flakes, quinoa flakes, flax seeds, hemp hearts, and sea salt. shake to mix and store in your pantry.

2. in a small pot, add 1/2 cup of your cereal mixture, cardamom powder, coconut extract and 1 tsp of maple syrup or coconut sugar. add 1 cup of boiling water and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes or until you achieve your desired consistency.

3. when your cereal is ready, remove it to a bowl and add hot coconut milk, diced mango, coconut, and raisins. garnish with remaining 1 tsp of maple syrup or coconut sugar.

4. eat it and warm up!