Paleo N’orridge (primal, keto, whole30, vegan, grain-free)

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me post (several times) various incarnation of my current favourite breakfast: my own creation of Paleo N’orridge. I even posted the recipe there a while back, but now want to share it here. What’s n’orridge you ask? A breakfast food that resembles porridge – the hot, stodgy, breakfast cereal I used to eat topped with brown sugar and milk – but made from different, paleo-friendly, gut-friendly and lower glycemic ingredients. Hence the use of ‘n.’

This recipe came from a what if moment on a cool, autumnal morning: What if I take all the ingredients from my cold creamed coconut + fruit + Nutter Bomb breakfast and heat them up? The result is the recipe below, which has been tried and tested on a weekly basis since about November. Can you believe that, before that moment, I had never made a n’orridge (or n’oatmeal) recipe before?

Paleo N’orridge is now part of my weekly meal prep, and Pat and I enjoy a hot bowl, reheated on the stove, every morning, alongside a bulletproof espresso (me) or yerba mate tea (Pat). The n’orridge is essentially carbs from fruit and a huge load of good fats, including the prime Omega 3’s found in the chia seeds and ground flaxseed – to give it some protein, I actually stir in unflavoured, grass-fed whey protein powder after it’s hot. It’s a great breakfast to fuel a long run in the hills, or a solid morning of work (no snack required!).

Finally, this recipe is paleo, primal, vegan and Whole30 compliant, which means it’s gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and sugar-free, but not free from taste!

Paleo N’orridge

*makes one large serving

200 mL creamed coconut, already made

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp ground flaxseeds

1 tbsp Maca powder (optional)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 banana, chopped*

1 apple, peeled (optional) and cored*

1 large handful of frozen blueberries

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 scoop unflavoured protein powder of your choice (optional)*

1. In a pot on your stove (hob), combine the creamed coconut, chia seeds, flaxseeds, Maca powder and cinnamon. Mix well to avoid any big clumps in your finished n’orridge.

2. Add your banana and blueberries.

3. For your apple, you can chop it, grate it or spiralise it, then add to your pot. Mix everything well, then turn on the heat to medium.

4. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble, like regular porridge would. Stir frequently as the mixture will stick to your pot. Once your n’orridge starts to bubble ferociously AND is hot all the way through, remove from the heat and top with the coconut oil. Once the oil is melted, mix well once more then serve!

*Notes: the fruit included in the recipe above are guidelines – you can use any fruit that responds well to cooking, and/or that is in season. I’ve made this with yellow plantains before, as well as with frozen raspberries or strawberries. Use an unflavoured protein powder of your choice (egg white, hemp seed, pea, rice – I use grass-fed whey protein); you could even try mixing in collagen powder! If you do, please let me know if it works. I’ve also eaten this with a fried egg on top, which did work.

Serving suggestions include:

• topped with one of my Nutter Bombs, crumbled (like the first photo above).
• mixing in cocoa powder or very dark chocolate (like Pat does).
• topped with fresh fruit and almond butter.

• topped with almond butter (my favourite!) and roasted walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

What’s your favourite hot paleo breakfast?