Andrew Scrivani for The New York TimesI had already decided that this week I would play around with breakfast grains when I noticed that food manufacturers are also coming up with new ideas. I rarely look at the breakfast cereals on the shelves in the supermarket or at Trader Joe’s, as it’s easier and cheaper for me to put together my own combos. But this week, as I reached for a container of steel-cut oats, I noticed several prepared mixes of grains and seeds like oats, quinoa and flax, mostly for hot cereal, that I hadn’t seen before.
I wanted to use up some of the ancient grains and seeds I have on hand — amaranth, teff and chia seeds. I tried making a porridge with teff alone, and I wasn’t crazy about the flavor, so I combined these tiny seeds with oatmeal. I did the same thing with oats, amaranth and chia seeds. The combinations were pleasing, with the little seeds contributing texture to the porridges as well as bumping up the nutritional value considerably.
When I’m planning on porridge for breakfast on a weekday morning I begin the process the night before. I pour boiling water over the grains and cover the bowl with a plate. The next morning all I need to do is heat the mixture in the microwave for two to four minutes. I might also grate in some apple, but basically, hot cereal made this way requires no more fuss than a bowl of cold cereal with milk.
Two of the week’s breakfast Recipes for Health required longer cooking, so they’re more suitable for a leisurely weekend morning. One is a grits/millet combo that I bake in the oven like polenta. It’s not cheese grits; this one is sweet, topped with maple syrup and toasted pecans. The other is a hearty bowl of wheat berries (such as farro, spelt, or wheat berries), cooked with dried fruit and sweetened and spiced with cinnamon, anise and rose water. These I cook for an hour the night before, then let sit overnight off the heat, and if necessary simmer for a while again the next morning until they are tender and splayed. My favorite way to serve the wheat berries is stirred into a bowl of yogurt along with some of the sweet broth left in the pot.
Sweet Oven-Baked Grits and Millet With Pecans and Maple Syrup: This sweet and grainy polenta makes a delicious brunch dish.
Rolled Oats With Amaranth Seeds, Maple Syrup and Apple: Amaranth and apple contribute texture and sweetness to this morning bowl.
Steel-Cut Oats With Amaranth Seeds, Chia Seeds and Blueberries: Amaranth and chia seeds pump up the nutritional content of this sweet and hearty morning bowl.
Oatmeal and Teff With Cinnamon and Dried Fruit: Cinnamon and dried fruit sweeten this oatmeal/teff mix.
Breakfast Wheat Berries: These fragrant Middle Eastern wheat berries can be stirred into yogurt or eaten on their own.
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