Good morning!

I hope the week has been great for you so far 🙂  Last week, I enjoyed an absolutely delicious new-to-me breakfast that I was introduced to by my grandma while I was home for Christmas…TEFF!

My grandma LOVES trying new foods just as much (if not more) than I do, and she was very excited to bring along some teff in her carry on while visiting my parents over the holiday.  We enjoyed this tiny Ethiopian grain as a hot cereal for breakfast, and after posting a pic on instagram several of you asked for the recipe.  My grandma was MORE than happy to share it with all of you.

What is Teff?

Teff is a very teeny tiny grain that is naturally gluten free with a slightly earthy, chocolatey flavor and a texture similar to cream of wheat or malt-o-meal when eaten as a hot breakfast cereal.  It is widely used in traditional Ethiopian cuisine and is chock full of calcium, protein (7g per serving!), and fiber.  It’s tasty and adds a fun twist to hot morning breakfast cereal.

How to Cook Teff as a Hot Breakfast Cereal

Yields:  approximately 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Teff grain
• 6-8 majool dates cut into small pieces (You can use raisins or omit the dates, however, you may have to use a sweetener if you eliminate the dates or raisins.  To make this low FODMAP I added two bananas instead of the dates or raisins.)
• 5 cups water

Directions:

1. Put the whole grain in a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan over medium- high heat.
2. Stir frequently over medium-high heat until the teff grains start to pop and ” jump.”  You will notice a fragrant smell.
3. Turn heat off and let the pan cool a bit before adding the water and dates.
4. Cook over medium heat.
5. Set a timer for 10 minutes, stir the teff and reset the timer for 10 minutes.  It will cook in about 30 to 40 minutes.  Adjust the water up or down to the consistency you like.
6. Eat right away, or portion out into 4 containers and store in the fridge for easy breakfasts (hot or cold!) later in the week.
7. Top with pecans, nut butter, chia seeds, milk, or fruit.  (My favorite way to enjoy is with a little extra banana and a big dollop of nut butter!)

Let me know if you give this wonderful little grain a try!! Enjoy 🙂

Random Acts of Kindness Day!

Before I head out for the day I wanted to give a shout to KIND!  (The snack company!) Last week, they sent me a little reminder that today is Random Acts of Kindness Day, and to celebrate the day of love and caring they are performing 24 acts of kindness all throughout Denver!  How sweet is that?

I’ll be performing my own acts of kindness (hopefully I can make it to 24 today!!) to spread the love, but I wanted to mention it so that you could help spread the kindness around too!

Here are some helpful Random Acts of Kindness resources:

• Printable Kindness February Calendar
• 100 Random Acts of Kindness
• Random Acts of Kindness for Kids (these are great for adults too!)
• Random Acts of Kindness

Happy Random Acts of Kindness Day!!

Your Turn:

• Do you like to try new foods?  
• What is a food you have experimented with recently?
• Are you performing any random acts of kindness today?