It’s Monday, and it’s finally time for us to 1) present Food Pharmacy’s new blog chef Therese Elgquist, and 2) share her first recipe here on the blog. We’re talking saffron-bun porridge, and yes you are absolutely welcome to start drooling.

Therese, as you may already know, is the genius behind many of the recipes in our cookbook. She describes herself as a food nerd, food creator, cookbook-author, and food artist who loves to cook, eat, talk and style food.

Therese makes vegetarian, nutritious, exciting food with a variety of flavors, textures and colors. Her style of cooking is mostly a process in which, after a careful process of choosing very specific raw ingredients, she can focus on something she thinks is especially good. And then she combines that something with three (or four, or five – yes, you get it) other ingredients that she also really likes. The results are usually very good. And cooking doesn’t have to be much harder then that.

We see this as the beginning of an inspiring and delicious trove of recipes listed here on the blog, which can function like a best friend to our good intestinal bacteria, and can be something that gets those creative juices flowing in the kitchen. Also, since December just started, it feels more than a little apropos to kick it off with one of our favorite porridges, one that is chock-full of Christmas vibes. It’s a little like eating saffron buns for breakfast: creamy, filling, soothing and beautiful to look at. And of course the recipe can be doubled or tripled or quadrupled without problems.

Being the persistent nutritionists we are, we constantly strive to find new ways to get as many greens as possible into each meal. For this particular porridge we grated a carrot and added it right at the end!

Saffron bun porridge with carrots and saffron
(1 serving)

Porridge:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 small carrot, grated
1 pinch saffron
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk (or more water)
 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Topping:
Red apple
Organic raisins
Roasted buckwheat * or seeds
Fresh mint (optional, but makes the porridge feel extra luxurious!)

Boil the water, coconut milk and saffron. Remove from heat and add the oatmeal. Let it absorb the moisture for at least 30 minutes (and go out for a morning jog, drink a cup of tea, pack a bag?).

Scrub clean and grate the carrot (please keep the peel, it contains plenty of nutrition). Put the pan back on the stove, raise the temperature a little, and let it simmer for a few minutes. Take it off the stove again, add the carrot and chia seeds, and allow to absorb for a few more minutes. Serve in a bowl topped with sliced ​​apple, raisins, buckwheat and mint if you’re in the mood. Light a candle, eat, enjoy and hum a Christmas carol for best results!

This is how you roast buckwheat:
Put 1 cup of buckwheat in a strainer. Boil water and pour over the buckwheat, then rinse off with cold water. Allow to drain, place the buckwheat on an oven plate and roast in the oven at 210 degrees Fahrenheit until they get crispy and golden. It takes about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Keep the buckwheat in a sealed can.

You’re more than welcome to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. And buy our first book in German here or in Polish here, and our new cookbook in Swedish here. And buy professor Bengmark’s Synbiotic15 here.