A new twist on an old grain

In keeping with my efforts to cook a mainly gluten-free diet through the week, I have discovered a number of new grains, which are, in fact, very old grains that have just happened to fall out of mainstream cooking and baking here in North America.  Many of these grains are actually making somewhat of a comeback as people try to replace the wheat in the diets with other grains or simply wish to incorporate a wider range of grains into their diet.  One of these grains is millet.  I know, most people tend to associate millet with birdfeed, but it's actually a very tasty, very nutritious grain, especially when served at breakfast.  It also is extremely nutritious, being very high in B vitamins and easily digestible.

I cook some kind of porridge a few times a week to have in the fridge so that my little family can quickly heat it up in the morning.  This morning we had a little more time than usual so I made my cereal right before we ate it.  And this morning, as I mentioned above, millet was my grain of choice for the porridge.  I really must say that I have yet to cook a porridge that my family hasn't liked, and that includes my toddler!  This morning's was no different.  However, what was different was that I made this one up (!) and I thought it was too good not to share.

Millet Porridge

1 cup millet, rinsed well
1 cup whole milk
1 1/4 cup water
handful of honey dates (important that these are honey dates as they break down nicely in the porridge)
1/4-1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Combine rinsed millet, milk, water and dates in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and turn heat down to simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until desired texture is achieved.  Stir occasionally during simmering to ensure even breakdown of dates.  Remove from heat and stir in cardamom and coconut oil until all oil is melted.

Serve and enjoy!