Hot Cereal Mélange

Hot Cereal Mélange

Hot cereal doesn’t have to be the goopy oatmeal topped with brown sugar you remember from your childhood. Here is a warm start to your day that is fiber-packed and has so many flavors and textures, you will head out the door with a smile on your face.

2 cups nonfat milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup, old-fashioned, thick-rolled oats
1/8 cup amaranth
1/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup bulgur, rinsed
8 tablespoons reduced-fat peach kefir
4 tablespoons sliced raw almonds
4 teaspoons 100 percent pomegranate juice or juice concentrate
4 heaping tablespoons blueberries

1. Bring milk and water to boil. Add oats, amaranth, quinoa and bulgur.
2. Cook over low heat 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour hot cereal evenly into four bowls. Add kefir, almonds, pomegranate concentrate and blueberries. Garnish with a slice of in-season fruit.

Yield: 4 servings (about 1 cup)

Nutrition information per serving: calories 329; protein 15 g; carbohydrates 51 g; total fat 9.6 g; saturated fat 7.9 g; cholesterol 4.25 mg; sodium 76 mg; fiber 12 g

• In a hurry? Substitute a multigrain cereal for the four grains above. Follow cooking direction on the label.

• Gluten sensitive? Exchange bulgur with an equal amount of oats.