A hot, warming breakfast in Winter can’t be beaten. I have tried alot of gluten free alternatives to porridge, and none of them really tasted right, or the ones that did were not affordable to eat every day. So I’ve been trying to recreate something, that tasted right and didn’t break my bank account.
Hold on, why can’t we eat oats?
Oats (even wheat free oats) are not considered gluten free in Australia. There are a few reasons for this:
- The type of gluten in oats – called avenin is unable to be accurately measured by current testing. Unlike gliadin in wheat, hordein in barley etc.
- One in five people with Coeliac Disease will react to oats. This means internal damage to the small intestine villi. Which can happen with or without symptoms.
If you want to eat ‘wheat free’ or ‘uncontaminated’ oats the only way to do this is to undertake an OATS CHALLENGE under the guidance of your gastroenterologist. Typically it involves a gastroscopy, to check everything is healed, before eating ‘wheat free’ oats every day for 2-3 months, before another gastroscopy to check if there has been any damage. Also within this time, its important to avoid other potential sources of gluten, when eating out, which could influence the results.
My GLUTEN FREE porridge blend!
I use a blend of rice and quinoa flakes, brown rice cereal and crushed raw almonds. I find rice flakes by themselves too watery, and quinoa flakes too overpowering. Therefore mixing all of them together helps to improve the flavour and texture.
How does it stack up price wise?
Unfortunately, gluten free alternatives are always more expensive, especially the ones that taste good. So I did a quick comparison to see how the price of this porridge stacked up.
- Rice flakes $3.70 for 500g at Woolworths.
- Quinoa flakes $7.00 for 500g at Woolworths.
- Brown rice farina – Bobs Red Mill $9.00-12.00 for 737g.*
- Raw almonds $7.00 for 250g at Woolworths
Total cost: $25.70
Cost per serve: $0.50 cents!
This is cheaper than the alternatives I like, such as KIM at $1.60 a serve and Brookfarm Porrij at $1.30-1.50 a serve.
*Brown rice farina can be found online or at gluten free health food shops. I purchased mine at both the Sunnybrook gluten free store, and the 24/7 convenience store in Prahran.
What makes gluten free porridge is the TOPPINGS!
My favourites are fresh fruit like berries, cinnamon and peanut butter. What do you like to add to yours?
I hope you enjoy!
Kath xx
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa flakes
- 1 cup rice flakes
- 1 cup brown rice farina
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
Instructions
- In a food processor pulse the almonds until broken up. Be careful not to pulse too much because they'll turn into almond meal.
- Mix all ingredients together in a container. Store for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
To serve:
- Add 1/3 cup of the dry porridge to a microwaveable safe bowl with 2/3 cup of cold water, mix together.
- Place in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until water has evaporated. (Time depends on the microwave)
- Serve immediately topped with your favourite ingredients.
