Pumpkin Spice Millet Porridge with Toasted Pecans and Cranberries

I'm a morning person. I used to be the sleep in late, skip breakfast, and go right to lunch kind of person, but somewhere between 18 and 22 something changed. Now I'm a morning person, and I'm definitely a breakfast person. Waking up before the sun to make pancakes before work is a pleasure to me. And no, that is not a joke. Of course I do not do that every day, but I do like to have homemade food on the table for breakfast.

I know, I know....I'm supposed to be moving on to gingerbread and peppermint, but I just can't let go until there are no more pumpkins available!

Marshall said he didn't dislike this, which is a win in my book! Yes, of course I enjoy preparing him a breakfast that he loves, but every day does not need to be a splurge. Two years ago he probably would've thought I was kidding if I said that this was his breakfast and turned to a box of cereal, so the fact that he'll happily sit down at the table and not dislike his millet porridge is really exciting! And I'm not just crazy. This tasted good. I'm sure not everyone would like it, but no matter what you've heard about millet, this does not taste like chicken feed. Millet is a great place to start if you're looking to add some variety to your diet and try new things.

The combination of the pumpkin, cranberries, spices, and nuts go well with the millet, and the maple syrup was a great sweetener for this. Of course you can use more or less sweetener depending on your taste. I wanted to find a balance between too much for me and not enough for Marshall. I added about one tablespoon while the millet was cooking and drizzled about half a tablespoon on top each of our bowls.

There are a few steps involved in making this, but it can basically all be done ahead of time so all you have to do in the morning is throw things in a pot. Do the prep work during an hour of the day that you get along with, leaving only a small amount of work for the morning hour. 

Pumpkin Spice Millet Porridge with Toasted Pecans and Cranberries

Ingredients:

3/4 cup millet

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup milk, divided

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 Tbsp. pumpkin

2 Tbsp. dried cranberries

2 Tbsp. maple syrup, divided (or sweetener of choice, more or less depending on your taste)

3 - 4 Tbsp. toasted pecans, roughly chopped

Directions:

Toast the pecans in a dry skillet, tossing frequently, until fragrant and beginning to brown (about 10 minutes). Set aside. Toast the millet along with the pumpkin pie spice in a dry skillet, tossing frequently, until fragrant (about 10 minutes). Add 1/2 cup milk and all the water to a pot, along with the millet and the pumpkin. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, add 1 Tbsp. maple syrup and the cranberries, cover the pot again, and simmer until the millet is cooked through (10-15 minutes). Serve with a pat of butter, the toasted pecans, a drizzle of maple syrup, and split the rest of the milk between the bowls. 

I'm not saying this millet is my favorite breakfast of all time, that it will rock your socks off, or that every human on planet earth will fall head over heals for it, but I am saying that it's nutritious, tasty, and I recommend it if you like to start your day with a warm and hearty breakfast.  And if you're really not a morning person, or you never eat breakfast, I would first recommend you start eating breakfast : ), and if that doesn't work I'd recommend it for lunch!

By the way, this went very well with my coffee! 

Enjoy!