RECIPE | Spiced banana, date and peanut butter porridge

So yeah, I am still breakfast obsessed. Porridge in Sweden seems to be that insanely basic breakfast that people have when they can't be bothered to make something, the equivalent to vegemite on toast if you will. The Swedes, although some of the most innovative and imaginative people in the world don't seem to have explored the exciting porridge possibilities and personally, I think they're missing out just slightly. 

I arrived in Stockholm at the beginning of an unseasonably warm week - highs of 26 degrees most days and sunny.  Everyone was loving it and I definitely enjoyed it too but I was secretly excited for the return of cooler weather (don't tell anyone, I may get deported for wishing for cooler weather!). 

It's Sunday, it's raining so yep, a bowl of porridge it is. Banana, dates and peanut butter are just one of those ultimate combinations, I think. I used a mixture of regular oats and steel cut oats just to add a bit of texture to the porridge. It was a delicious start to my Sunday and I as I sit here writing this I am thinking that I'm going to need to revisit this recipe rather soon. Obviously you can play around with the recipe, you don't have to add in all of the spices if you don't have them on hand etc.. Just use the recipe as a guide. 

I had lost interest in food photography for a while there but I guess working long days, moving across the world and travelling kind of does things like that to you. I really enjoyed spending a stupid amount of time taking photos of this delicious bowl of oats and am really excited to have rediscovered my love for taking photos of my food. I think it's also a sign that I am finally starting to feel a bit more settled over here in Sweden - hurrah! 

Banana, cinnamon, date and peanut butter porridge 
For 1

1/3 cup regular oats
1 tbsp steel cut oats
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk/ nut milk
1 tsp cinnamon (or maybe a touch more)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tsp honey (if you want to sweeten it)
Pinch of salt
3 dates, chopped
Handful of almonds, chopped
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 banana, sliced

Place both type of oats in saucepan along with water and milk. Bring to the boil then turn stove down to a very low heat.
Add in cinnamon, vanilla, honey, salt and 2 dates. 
Stir as often as you can for 10 - 12 minutes until you are happy with consistency and the steel oats have softened. You may need to add in more water if you prefer a runnier porridge. 

Remove from stove and place in bowl. Place banana on top along with almonds, peanut butter and the extra date. Add a drizzle of honey if you want to add more sweetness. Add a splash of milk and bring a little jug of milk with you to the breakfast table so you can continue to add milk as you get through this delicious bowl of porridge. 

Happy breakfasting! Hope this helps to get you out of bed on those cold, early mornings.