I’m not into guilt trips. That’s what New Year’s resolutions are. They make you feel like you did something wrong. And they use guilt to force you into doing something different in the new year.
Plus, they set you up. By the end of February or the beginning of March, when all your willpower is gone, you feel like a failure. You blame yourself, not the stupid idea of a New Year’s resolution. And then, you eat more pie. It’s a vicious circle.
Look, I’m not saying to give up making changes for the better in your life, not at all. I’m just saying that I don’t think New Year’s resolutions are the solution. And there is a better way, in my opinion.
New Year’s resolutions are about denying yourself and fixing what went wrong. But why do you need to focus on what went wrong, on the bad stuff in your life? Instead, I say to look forward to the good stuff instead. That’s what you want more of anyway, right?
You love food. So, what you want is more flavor. What you want is more craveable food, more memory-making food. And let me be even more concise. You want food that makes good memories. Forcing yourself to scarf down a big salad just out of the fridge on a bone-chilling day may make a bad memory.
So, let me be clear. If you’re not in the mood to eat a big salad when there’s snow on the ground or even just a crispness in the air, there’s nothing wrong with you. When it’s cold outside, what you want to eat may be heavier. And that’s ok.
If you’re like me, you want hearty, warming food that makes you feel cozy when the temp drops: big chunks of braised meat, bowls of stew, and savory steaming casseroles. Those dishes sound perfect when the weather is brisk, right? Well, let me add another warming, hearty dish to the list.
Porridge. Wait, hear me out. I’m not talking about the austere, stiff porridges you may have read about in hard knocks stories. I’m talking about big, steamy bowls of creamy porridge topped with a combination of foods you won’t be able to resist.
I’m a big fan of porridges because they are very versatile. You can go sweet with them. Anything you can put in your oatmeal in the morning is an option for a sweet porridge. But the savory side is where the magic is.
You can make porridge from any grain. But I’ll go with corn porridge here because I always have corn meal next to the flour in my pantry. You should, too.
All you do to make this porridge is season up the meal with chicken broth and any other seasonings you like. Here’s a recipe for a corn porridge with that creamy consistency you want.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Bring 3 cups of broth, butter, oil, and water together and boil briskly
- Season the water and taste
- Add the cornmeal in a continuous stream while whisking
- Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens to avoid lumps
- Cook covered for 5 minutes until cooked through
- Heat the final cup of broth and stir in just before serving to ensure a creamy consistency
Each person should get a cup and a quarter of this steamy, creamy, luscious porridge as a base. That’s a hearty serving, and it’s about 200 calories.
Add three tablespoons of grated cheese to punch up the flavor. It’s only 150 calories more, so it could be worth it.
To make your porridge a more complete, but still a light lunch, top it with caramelized onions and mushrooms. Now you have a great vegetarian meal in front of you.
If you’re aiming for a 700-calorie dinner, you’re well under that with just this cheesy porridge idea. So, let’s get into some more of the toppings you can add. All the best cold-weather foods will be great on this porridge. Here are a few ideas.
- Throw in last night’s baked chicken thigh and the canned tomatoes, onions, and peppers from last summer or even last night’s asparagus. 250 calories more. Total: 500 calories. You still have room for a glass of wine.
- A poached egg, 4 ounces of pulled smoked turkey, stewed collards with a bit of vinegar in them. These may not be things you have lying around. But you might have them after a holiday dinner. It’s a great way to use up those leftovers. It’s also about the same number of calories as in recipe number one above.
- If you need an everyday option, two slices worth of bacon crumbles, a sunny-side-up egg, and diced tomatoes and onions. Again, we’re in the 600-calorie range in total. So a cup of juice or two cups of coffee with milk are in the range if you’re doing a 700-calorie breakfast.
Now, maybe you’re thinking, ‘I hate grits.’ If so, then I want to tell you that you can and should do these warming porridge bowls with yellow corn meal, as I’ve called out here. It will give you a flavor that is more like polenta. You can even call these warming polenta bowls if that makes it easier to sell to the family. They’re not exactly the same, but close enough.
But I’ve made these bowls with white grits, too. And they are fabulous. Don’t be afraid of good ‘ol grits. You probably hate them because what you had was more like a cold, gelatinous, unseasoned patty. Grits don’t have to be like that.
Here’s a challenge for you. First, make this porridge using cornmeal. Find a few good topping combinations you adore. Then, replace the cornmeal with grits. You can use the same ratios and ingredients from the corn porridge recipe above. Just swap the grits for the cornmeal.
Now, consider if you were getting hungry on a freezing day but wanted to eat with a New Year’s resolution in mind: boiled chicken breast that’s the color of wet cardboard, unseasoned broccoli that’s the color of the sink in your gramma’s bathrooms in the 70s, and water… The best thing about this meal is the water.
Or, this…?
I don’t know about you, but I choose the porridge. F**k New Year’s resolutions!
Happy Eating,
Greer