Hello, my name is Jules and I’m a heavy-footed walker….I think.  I have suspected it for awhile, but have finally come to the realisation that I think I stomp my feet a little harder on the ground that the average person, well maybe the average lady….and I’m a little embarrassed about it.

It first dawned on me when the soles of my shoes seemed to wear out quite quickly and as I often complained to my colleagues that I had to keep getting my heels resoled, it seemed that it was only me singing this song.

The other thing that made me notice this impairment was that when I’m walking, it seems the click clack of my heels are the only footsteps I seem to hear.  Compared to me, it seems that everyone else is tip-toeing down the street.  How is this so for a girl just pushing 5’3?

Whilst my stomping around may not be good for my shoes, this quinoa, amaranth and steel cut oats porridge is great for my health and it’s super tasty as well.

Steel cut oats have only been recently available in Australia and really only in health food shops.  The difference between the rolled oats that we’re used to and the steel cut oats is that with rolled oats, the oats have been steamed and literally been rolled over to flatten them.  Whereas with the steel cut oats, the oat groat has just been cut 2 to 3 times.  Because of minimal processing, the cooking time for the oats are a little longer (approx 30 mins) but they are worth it.  The texture of the oats are so much more satisfying than rolled oats.  They have more bite and a great chew that makes the texture so good.

Quinoa we all know about by now, it’s super high in protein and blah di blah, yep it’s good for us, got it.  Amaranth however is lesser known and is often referred to as a grain like quinoa but it’s actually a seed.  It’s high in protein and calcium and minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorous, copper and manganese.  It’s gluten free so easy on the digestive system too!  What I love about the amaranth in this porridge is the texture it provides, a little crunch, similar to biting into a poppy seed.

In the past if you’ve not been a fan of porridge because of the sloppy texture I urge you to give this version a go because I know it has converted quite a few past porridge haters!

Steel cut oats, quinoa and amaranth porridge

serves 4

what you need:

• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1/4 cup amaranth
• 1 tbsp butter (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups milk (full or skim)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)

• 1 cup blueberries, frozen or fresh
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

what to do:

Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan.  Throw in the steel cut oats, amaranth and quinoa and toast for a couple of minutes.  Add the water and the milk and bring up to the boil and then turn down the heat and cook for about 25-30 mins, or until the grains are cooked.  Be aware however that you still want the oats to have a bit of bite to them.

Once they are cooked, add the pinch of salt and the maple syrup if using and stir through.

To make the blueberry topping, pop the blueberries in a small saucepan with the maple syrup and bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes.  Pour on top of the porridge.

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