Warming winter porridge with homemade apple-cinnamon compote, cranberries and bananas

Breakfast lovers: Hands up!

I’m definitely one. For me breakfast is the most important meal of the day and mostly I like it fruity and sweet. Porridge, granola and bananabread with vegan curd and homemade marmalade are therefore my favorites. During summer, I mostly stick to yoghurt, seasonal fruits and cereals, during the cold months of the year I love baked oatmeals and different porridge variations. Both are well-tolerated by the body and especially for people, practicing endurance sports, these breakfast dishes provide the perfects basis.

Last week, when I visited a friend in Berlin we went out for breakfast to a really small café called “Haferkater”. Maybe some of you have already heard about it. They offer many different porridge variations. No matter if you’re a chocolate lover or if you prefer fruits, there will be the right “Kater” for you on their menu.

As you might suppose, I chose a fruity one, topped with fresh banana and dried cranberries, mulberries and goji berries.

Inspired by this great power bowl and because of the stormy an cold weather outside, I decided to start my weekend with a similar one this morning, which is fruity and naturally sweetened. Of course you can also use conventional sugar or sweetener, however I like natural one such as agave nectar, maple syrup or rice syrup.

Ingredients (1 serving):

For the basic porridge:

35g rolled oats
100ml vegetable milk
200ml water
some sweetener (optional)

For the apple compote:

one medium sized apple
cinnamon
some sweetener (optional)

Toppings:

one small banana
1-2 table spoons of dried cranberries

Instructions:

Mix the oats, milk and water in a cooking pot and let the mixture boil for 3-4 minutes.
After this time, remove the pot from the hot plate and let the oats swell for a few minutes. This will thicken the porridge and make it creamy.
In the meantime you can cut the apple into small pieces and put it in another cooking pot, together with a bit of cinnamon and rice syrup (or any other sweetener you like). Heat this mixture up as well and let it boil for 1-2 minutes. I you want, you can also a a bit of water here.
Now, cut the banana, fill the porridge into your favorite bowl and top it with the warm apple compote, the sliced banana and the dried cranberries.