Here is a relatively simple recipe to prepare that can be eaten for breakfast in place of grits or oatmeal. Like oatmeal, this recipe can easily be altered with whatever fruits you would prefer as a topping. I’ve added bananas, dried cranberries, raisins and sliced apples to this dish at various points, all with great and tasty results. This dish is packed with nutrients, especially the most essential Thiocyanate, which is great for helping red blood cells avoid the sickling process, and is a tasty way to start your day!
Ingredients
(I never use exact measurements of anything for this recipe, these are estimations of what goes in with all the ingredients I use. Feel free to add more or less of anything and tailor it to your tastes.)
16 oz of Grated Yucca* (can be found in the frozen section)
¼ or 1/3 of a cup of Brown Sugar**
¼ tsp Allspice
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Ginger
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Oil or 3Tbsp Butter
¼ Cup of Raisins
½ Cup of Dried Cranberries
6 Cups of Water
*If the yucca is frozen, allow the yucca to defrost before adding it to the boiled water.
**This recipe can be made with white sugar as well. Be sure to tailor the amount used to your tastes.
Step 1: Fill pot with water and add all spices, oil, salt, sugar, and dried fruit. Bring to a boil. Boiling the dried fruits with the water will allow them to plump up, which will give a nicer texture to the whole dish. It will also reduce the amount of moisture they later absorb when the yucca is added to the water. Make sure to taste the water at this point to be sure that the taste is to your liking. This is the easiest stage to add sugar or salt or any other spices to bring it up to your level of satisfaction.
Step 2: Begin to stir in the yucca to the boiling water, spoonful by spoonful. Stir consistently as you add in the yucca so that it doesn’t clump. The consistency of this pudding can easily be thickened or thinned by adding more or less water. You can also add more raisins and dried cranberries to this recipe if it’s too thin, as they will help to absorb the extra water.
Step 3: Once all of the yucca is added, continue to stir until everything is incorporated, and there are little to no clumps. If there are clumps, it’s not a huge deal, it just makes for a lumpier consistency. As long as everything is fully cooked and tastes the way you like it, it should be fine. Bring the flame down to its lowest setting, and allow the pudding to cook for 10-15 more minutes.
Step 4: Turn the flame off. The pudding is ready to be eaten! Serve hot, warm, or cold, with or without milk added. To add extra jazz to this dish, add a sliced banana, or any other type of your favorite fruit. Enjoy!