Well, here it is, my first post. I couldn't decide on whether it should be an introduction to who this family is, and what it's healing, or a recipe. The recipe won in the end because, let's face it, food is much more fun. But if you want to know the answer to the other, you should check out my About Me. It's a long story so best get the kettle on first. Just warning you!
It's an odd, almost surreal moment actually, when the realisation dawns on you, you may possibly be talking to yourself. It wouldn't be the first time, I guess, and doubtless won't be the last. So here we go and it seems only fitting to start at the beginning. Breakfast!
Breakfasts can be such a challenge when you're on an autoimmune diet. Bowls of cereal have long since been a distant memory for us but no eggs? Boo! These past few months our first meal of the day has gone from scrambled eggs quickly snatched before heading out of the door, to something that needs serious thought and pre-planning. But, if you're anything like our family you won't have countless moments to while away over a leisurely feast when there's school to get to, or you may have times when you don't fancy a reheated something or other from the night before or perhaps, even, you just feel the need for something different.
This recipe was the result of a happy accident, which is very often how fine dishes are created. Do you know the story of the Tatin sisters? How in the 1800s one of the sisters was making a traditional apple pie when she let the butter and sugar burn. Rather than throw it away and start again, she put the pastry over the top and baked it before turning it out, serving it upside down. Her diners raved about this new dessert, which just happens to be my all time favourite, by the way (pre-autoimmune, of course. Another boo!). Now, I'm not for one minute suggesting this pumpkin breakfast is in the same league as that Tarte Tatin but all the same, it is pretty darned good.
Did you know you can eat coconut flour raw? It stands to reason, really, after all it is just coconut that's been finely ground. You do need to use a good quality one mind, but it's a fact that raw food restaurants often use it on their menus. Another word of warning, it is fibrous and therefore will bulk you up if eaten in regular and large quantities, so you may like to make it easier on your digestion by having an extra glass of water or two to drink to help move things along .. if you know what I mean!
I tested this recipe countless times. I tried it with shredded coconut instead of the flour but it didn't thicken as much as I wanted and, I have to say, I found it a bit gagging. Coconut flour is quite finicky to use, it has sponge like qualities that soak up liquids in quite scary proportions and then all of a sudden will take no more. But this has gone down a storm in our kitchen with the food critics and besides all the healthful ingredients, it is super quick to make which, let's face it, is the whole point. I assemble all the ingredients on a tray the night before (that's probably about it for my organisational skills) so I don't even need to think about what it is I need and can easily do it with bleary early-morning eyes. It will take only minutes to prepare so I make it first thing in the morning, before the children are awake, then I let it sit and do its stuff whilst it's action stations elsewhere and by the time everyone's made it to the breakfast table, hey presto, it's done. Another great thing is that any leftovers (as if!) get spooned into glasses and refrigerated for another time, at which stage the gelatine has worked its magic and rewards you with a mousse-consistency dessert. Win-win!
AIP pumpkin 'porridge'
I suggest you use a medium sized flat wire whisk, rather than a wooden spoon. That way you won't end up with any lumps of flour in the mixture.
(serves 4-6)
Print the recipe here
1 x 15oz can unsweetened pumpkin purée (I use this one)
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp (60g) coconut flour (I use this one)
1/2 tsp sea salt (I use this one)
3 cups (750ml) coconut milk (I use this one)
2 tbsp gelatine (I use this one)
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tsp alcohol free vanilla extract*
Pour 1 cup coconut milk into a small pan and sprinkle over the gelatine. Leave for 5 minutes to bloom. Meanwhile put the pumpkin, coconut flour, salt and remaining coconut milk into a large bowl, and stir to amalgamate. Gently heat the gelatine mixture, ensuring it doesn’t boil, then add the honey and continue stirring a second or two till melted. Add this to the pumpkin mix, along with the vanilla extract, and whisk till smooth. Leave for at least 10 minutes to thicken.
Pour into breakfast bowls and serve with fresh berries. Any extra can be put into small glasses or ramekins for dessert.
* Please note that vanilla extract containing alcohol is not suitable for strict AIP unless boiled out first.
For more breakfast inspiration, you may want to think about getting a copy of the e-book "85 Amazing AIP Breakfasts"!
Wow Kate, I have just read your 'About' page, I have always known you liked to produce 'good' food but I never realised why! Well kudos to you for tackling the problem head on and not just sitting back and relying on pills, I'm sure it's not easy with children but I'm quite sure it's something we all could do with embracing!
V x
Hi V, thanks so much for your comment. Yes, my hub and I are definitely the hands on sort and aren't going to be defeated over this! Anyway, I couldn't let anything stand in the way of my knitting could I ? 😉
It says 3 c coconut milk = 1 pint. Actually a pint is 2 cups. So do you use 2 cups or 3 cups of coconut milk?
Hello Lyn - thanks so much for pointing this out, not quite sure what happened there. The recipe is for 3 cups coconut milk (750ml as opposed to 500ml/1 pt) and is now amended. Once again, thank you 🙂
Isn't the first post akward? But this recipe looks delicious, and I'm looking forward to trying it as school starts now.good luck with the healing! (I'm from beautiful BC too, though now I live on the other side of the pond.)
Hi Naomi, thanks for popping in. I hope you enjoy! Best wishes from sunny BC 🙂
Hi Kate, I'm a bit nervous as I have a serious food critic in my house who has never ever eaten anything that resembles porridge…. I'm wondering if this might be more of 'pudding for breakfast'? and, from the directions it seems it's not served hot but at room temperature? I need to check as a once completely unaware me served Vichyssoise hot (it's soup why would it not be hot!).
I'm still so glad I found your blog. Although buying pumpkin pie filling in the UK seems incredibly strange!
Hello Ema, this breakfast is a cold one and yes, can either be served immediately as a nourishing first meal or later as a mousse-like dessert. If you think your mini 'Egon Ronay' may turn up her nose at the loose version, why not try making it the evening before and giving her mousse for breakfast, perhaps the novelty would be enough? Obviously I can't talk for her likes and dislikes but my own children love it, only when I've served it up without the honey they don't quite as much. On the odd occasion I have mashed banana into it, instead of honey, and they have been fine. How about adding a little more honey than is stated and then gradually over time, decrease the quantity? Or serve her favourite fruits on the top? Also have you tried the two 'oatmeal' recipes on her, I know she hasn't eaten porridge before but they are fruity and you can always add a bit more if you think that would work.
About the pumpkin pie filling, yes it is in every food store over here but Libby's sell tinned pumpkin in all the major supermarkets in England (certainly Tesco, Waitrose and Aldi). The only trouble is the cans will not be BPA free so you have to weigh up how you feel about metal exposure, together with the fact it's not organic. Danival make organic puree in jars which are available in some Holland & Barretts and places like Planet Organic, Amazon and perhaps even your local health shop, which is healthier but of course more expensive. There's no reason why you can't make your own pumpkin puree, although you will need to get it completely smooth and cook out as much liquid as possible, which is the beauty of these manufactured versions.
Finally, LOL about your Vichyssoise. Serve it however you like, I say 😉
Let me know how you get on Ema, I'm rooting for you!!
Thanks for blogging! I tried this recipe to get myself back on track to better health once again. It's delicious! I wanted to quick share that this morning I added a dusting of ground ginger after I warmed up some leftover porridge and I really enjoyed the extra layer of flavor and warmth it added on this brisk autumn morning. Looking forward to trying the oatmeals you have kindly shared as well! Thank you for taking the time and effort to blog these healthful and nutrient dense recipes.
Cheryl, thank you for sharing your extra layer notes, you make the porridge sound so tempting. Here's hoping you enjoy the oatmeals as much and by the way, thank YOU for your kind words and for taking the time to comment. It is so much appreciated.
I love this recipe and I haven't even made it yet! It will be so yummy, nutritious, and easy! I'm thinking of adding some "pumpkin pie" type spices as well.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! My family will have it tomorrow for breakfast!
Sounds delicious, I hope you all enjoy 🙂
Saw this posted on facebook as your first ever blog post. Thanks for this. I had a recipe for pumpkin porridge that used almond flour which I loved but I have to avoid nuts, especially almonds. I haven't had time to try it with coconut flour so thank you 🙂
Thanks for popping by, I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!! I was just wondering: do you think it is possible to sub the coconut milk with almond milk, and the gelatine with agar agar? (I currently have no coconut milk nor gelatine available you see ;-))...
Hi Sarah, I obviously haven't checked with those ingredients because they're not AIP, however I am sure it would be fine. You could even leave the agar agar and add an extra tablespoon of coconut flour if you like, I'm pretty sure that would work too. Enjoy 🙂
Wow! This recipe looks and sounds pretty good and I can't wait to try it. I see so many pumpkin recipes that look so good but since you don't find canned pumpkin in Australia, they often just sound like too much work and don't get made. However, last year we had a glut of pumpkins from our garden that we couldn't use fast enough and so I cooked them, mashed them and froze it all up into zip-lock bags. Pumpkin recipes, here I come... Lol. Can't wait to load up on more pumpkin this year because it worked really well.
I do often wonder though about recipes using coconut flour. I use it myself quite often and have purchased quite a few different brands and even made my own but my recipes never look anything like the ones pictures which leaves me to wonder if our coconut flour is the same as what you get in the US. I believe you can get Bob's Red Mill over there and it is one brand I have found here as well but with the same results as all the others. Have you used this one and is it different to your preferred brand?
Can't wait to delve into this recipe and check out some more of your offerings.
Hi Annette, I have used Bob's Red Mill once or twice in the past and it, although I think it's a little heavier than the brand I'm used to, it'll be fine to use for this recipe, which is very forgiving. Perhaps use a couple of teaspoons less than the recipe says to start with and see how you like it. I hope you enjoy the porridge 🙂
GREAT RECIPE!, LOVE PUMPKIN, CAN I USE A NATURAL SUGAR FREE SWEETENER INSTEAD OF THE HONEY?, DIABETES RUNS IN MY FAMILY.
Thanks Kelly. You can leave it out, you'll find it sweet enough I think.
Lovely texture and consistency. I've yet to try one of your recipes and not enjoy! Just wondering how long this would keep when poured into individual containers, covered and stored in the fridge?
I'm so pleased to hear you enjoy the recipe. I would say 3 days is good to keep this one.
Can you add collagen to this or will it affect the flavor/texture? If so, when should it be added?
You don't need to add collagen because there's already gelatin in here, which is excellent for gut healing.