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Post will be short and sweet from here until the new year. I know many people are wading through piles of cookies and planning holiday dinners but life has been pretty normal around here. M and I headed down to San Francisco last weekend to finish up (aka- start and complete) our shopping and really just to enjoy a day out of the house. We leave on Tuesday to head home to Illinois and from there we fly to Texas (it’s going to be crazy.) This year has been strange and very un-holiday like (even with the 9′ tree we have taking up a quarter of our living room). I blame the lack of snow and the first year being away from our families for the majority of the month. Also, M and I have determined that since moving to California, time moves at a faster rate (for this I blame the day in and day out of sunshine.)
So instead of holiday cookies and meals, I give you this simple porridge. Tuck this one away for the beginning of the year- I promise this is a great way to start your day. Ever since the cornbread pancakes, I’ve been on a “how many ways can I find to eat lemon curd for breakfast.” Grand total so far: 10 and counting. You will probably hear me talk a lot about citrus this year mainly because it’s new and exciting for me (I mean, I could buy lemons and oranges in Illinois during winter but I could never pick one off a tree!)
I love all types of grain porridges- so hearty and can be gussied up in so many ways. I highly suggest that if you fall in love with whole-millet porridge, you try the cracked millet version as well (adds an extra layer of creaminess!)
Millet Porridge with Lemon Curd and Sunflower Seeds
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked millet
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup lemon curd
- 2-3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Add millet to a pot over medium heat. Swirl for 2-3 minutes, letting millet lightly toast. Add water, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let millet cook until water is absorbed, 25-30 minutes*. Stir the millet occasionally as it cooks.
- Once millet is done, remove from heat and stir in the milk. Add more or less milk depending on the texture you desired. Divide into 2 bowls (or eat as one large serving) and swirl in the lemon curd and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
by Erin Alderson
Recipe Notes
*Lemon curd being used is originally from my cornbread pancake post
I love that you put sunflower seeds in this. It’s gorgeous, unique, and looks super tasty too!
thanks for this – perfect timing! I make Christmas cookies with lemon curd every year, and inevitably end up with leftover curd I don’t know what to do with. Happy Holidays!
I just moved away from SF and realized that life is much slower in other parts of the world! I like it but miss the hustle and bustle of the city. I love lemon curd, but never thought to add it to porridge/oatmeal- good idea!
I 100% support your lemon-curd-for-breakfast addictions! I’m a Midwest girl and haven’t experienced hand picking citrus but am crazy about citrus and any type of curd. Safe travels on your way back to the Midwest!
I like lemon curd on peanut butter instead of jelly. I also like it on scones.
This looks absolutely fabulous! I never would have thought of adding the lemon curd…
Anything smothered in lemon curd sounds good to me! Plus i have so much millet hanging around my pantry.
I hope you’re enjoying time with family! So bummed I missed you at the Remodelista fair 🙁 It’s pouring rain here in Ohio, so much snow! Looking forward to catching up after the holidays. x
I love how you used sunflower seeds in this recipe, something I need to eat more of. Happy holiday girl!
This looks fantastic!
Mu husband just bought like 50 pounds of millet. “We’ll never starve!” he said. I will be trying ALL of your millet recipes! Ha!
Erin! Just wanted to tell you that I did a delicate riff on this bowl this am with a coconut quinoa kinda porridge and Kathryne’s curd recipe made with meyer lemons and satsumas. Unbelievably good. Just about the perfect winter breakfast. xo
This looks delicious! I’ve never tried millet porridge. Check out our porridge blog, your recipe might turn up there soon 🙂
Hi Erin! Response to an older post, but I just made this for breakfast! (Yes, it’s 5pm here in the UK, but sometimes things just get pushed further and further back…)
Absolutely delicious – never would have thought to use lemon curd, but oh my gosh it works so well! I used a pre-made one, made locally in Wales – waiting for half an hour for the millet to cook was long enough for me!!! – and stirred in almond milk rather than whole (also used mixed seeds not just sunflower), and it was really lovely. Every time I make millet (okay, twice) it’s always quite gritty. I do like the texture, but I wondered if it was supposed to be a little more mushy/porridge-like, as yours looks in your picture.
Hello! Thank you so much for the comment. The milk with adds the creaminess (as cooked millet by itself is a fairly dry grain). I think I always cook it a bit longer and with extra milk. The other option is to crack the millet before cooking (whirl it in a blender). This is the easy way to make sure it’s nice and creamy: http://naturallyella.com/creamy-millet-porridge-with-roasted-strawberries/. Hope this helps!
That’s super – just read the post. Thank you so much and hope you’re having a lovely morning!
I made this for breakfast yesterday- happened to have everything already on hand- it was AMAZING!! I added some wild blueberries right at the end. Thank you for such a great recipe!