Zucchini Bread Overnight Crockpot Porridge

Another end of a weekend - sad.  We should focus on starting out the week right with a warm, nutritious, and tasty breakfast!

After making Carrot Cake inspired porridge in December, I was curious to try out another vegetable that often gets tossed into dessert-y situations - zucchini.

I grated the zucchini into two 'sizes,' just for fun, but that's not necessary.  Go with a smaller size if you're trying to truly sneak it in, otherwise a standard size for those not afraid of a little green in their breakfast!

Just like the raisins really finished off the Carrot Cake Porridge, craisins suited this porridge perfectly.  And of course, some chopped walnuts.  Or.... in my case, crushed walnuts.  Walnuts + Ziploc bag + jar bottom = perfectly crushed walnuts.  Seriously, it's WAY easier and tidier than chopping them with a knife and having some skitter away on the countertop or find their way onto the floor.

Another grate usage of zucchini! (Get it... grate?? Grated zucchini??)  Sorry, I'll show myself out... :-)

Zucchini Bread Overnight Crockpot Porridge
Makes 6 servings

1/2 cup steel-cut oats
1/2 cup whole oat groats (found in bulk bins in Whole Foods, otherwise just more steel-cut oats)
1/2 cup short-grain brown rice (or pearled barley or farro)
2 Tbsp wheat germ
2 Tbsp flax seeds, ground
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 medium zucchini, grated (~3 cups)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
5 1/2 cups water

For toppings:
Chopped walnuts
Craisins
Brown sugar or maple syrup to taste

Before going to bed, prepare your porridge.  Place a Slow Cooker Liner in your crockpot (Reynolds makes them, by the Ziploc bags).  It's a necessary item for crockpot usage, in my opinion, particularly for overnight porridge!

In your lined crockpot, pour in your steel-cut oats, brown rice, groats, wheat germ, flax seeds, zucchini, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, brown sugar and water.  Stir.  Cover and set your crockpot to low and cook overnight.

In the morning, stir the porridge, and add in at least 1/2 cup craisins.  Top off your bowl with milk of choice (if desired), chopped nuts and sweetener.  Enjoy!

Overnight Crockpot Carrot Cake Porridge

Imagine a chilly and frosty morning, and you don't want to get out of bed.  But then you catch the warm scent of cinnamon and spices wafting from your kitchen.  So you get up, and there is a crockpot full of warm and cozy porridge, ready to be eaten.  Sounds amazing, right?

I've been making overnight crockpot oatmeal for months now, and it's been fantastic.  A healthy, warm, and cheap breakfast ready for you when you wake up - what more could you want?  Mostly it's been an apple-cinnamon variety, but we've also tried peach-blueberry, strawberry-banana, and pumpkin pie.  I'll have to share the other versions as well because they are all delightful.

This flavor was inspired from a favorite blog of mine, Oh She Glows.  Sneaking vegetables into breakfast, but it tastes like a dessert?  Win-win.  You may be asking what makes this a "porridge."  Well, porridge is defined as "a dish consisting of oatmeal or another meal or cereal boiled in water or milk."  So, we'll go with that.

The perfect winter breakfast!

Overnight Crockpot Carrot Cake Porridge
(inspired by Oh She Glows)
Makes 4-6 servings

1/2 cup steel-cut oats
1/2 cup short-grain brown rice
1/4 cup pearled barley
1/4 cup whole oat groats (I get these in a bulk bin at Whole Foods, but if you can't find them, just add more steel-cut oats)
3 cups shredded carrot
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 cups water

To top off:
Milk of choice (I used coconut, but regular/soy/almond would work too)
Chopped walnuts or pecans
Raisins
Brown sugar/maple syrup to taste

Before going to bed, prepare your porridge.  Place a Slow Cooker Liner in your crockpot (Reynolds makes them, by the Ziploc bags).  If you don't want to spend an eternity scrubbing your crockpot - use one of these!  Trust me.  They're amazing.

In your lined crockpot, pour in your steel-cut oats, brown rice, barley, groats, carrot, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, brown sugar and water.  Stir.  Cover and set your crockpot to low and cook overnight.

In the morning, stir the porridge, and add in at least 1/2 cup raisins.  Top off your bowl with milk of choice, chopped nuts and sweetener.  Enjoy!