Cozy Labor Day Breakfast and Multigrain Hot Cereal

All I wanted to do this Labor Day was relax with the man I love. I planned a cozy breakfast for the two of us that was a little bit more special than what we have on our usual weekday mornings. I had no intention of blogging about it, but when we prepared everything, I realized it was all too beautiful not to share.

 I've been savoring every last bit of local fruit that has been available this season, and this breakfast was full of it. Juicy peaches, Italian prune and red plums, concord grapes, succulent blackberries, late harvest blueberries and late summer strawberries have been gracing our table for the past few weeks. I'm so blessed to live in such a fertile area of upstate New York!

Instead of the typical oatmeal we both eat every morning, I decided to jazz it up by adding  buckwheat groats and quinoa. And in lieu of cooking the grains in water, I cooked them in homemade almond milk (recipe here). I toasted up some hazelnuts and shredded coconut and let the beautiful fruit do the rest of the talking. Oh how I wish fruit season would never end!


Multigrain Hot Cereal (inspired by this recipe)


1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup raw buckwheat groats
2 1/2 cups almond milk, plus more if needed (you could also just use water)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup dried currants or raisins (optional)
Toppings of your choice (I used fresh fruit, toasted coconut flakes, and toasted hazelnuts)

The night before you plan on making the hot cereal, put the oats, quinoa, and buckwheat in a large bowl and cover with water. Let the grains soak overnight to make them more digestible and to enhance their nutritional quality. In the morning, just strain them in a fine mesh strainer before following the rest of the recipe to cook them. However, this soaking step is entirely optional and unsoaked grains will work just fine.

1. Put strained (if you soaked them) grains in a pot. Add the almond  milk (or water) and bring to a slow simmer over medium low heat. Watch the grains closely, adding more milk or water if they become too thick and stirring them to make sure they don't stick. Cook the grains for about 15 minutes.

2. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, maple syrup, and currants and stir well. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, again adding more liquid if you feel its necessary. Serve topped with fruit and nuts of your choice.

Serves 2 generously

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