OK, so let's skip the Christmas rhyming and start with the beauty talk instead. I've filled this little bowl of porridge with yummy ingredients that are also good for your skin. The flavor of the porridge is a mix between carrot cake and gingerbread, and it is brightened up with some sour milk and then topped with creamy almond butter, lingonberries with honey, dried figs and salty roasted almonds. Every single ingredient is chosen with our skin health in mind.

If we start with the two Ps – prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics promote a healthy gut and thus a healthy skin as well. Prebiotics help make your good gut bacteria thrive and can be found in foods rich in fiber like oats. The good gut bacteria, probiotics, can be found in fermented foods such as sour milk. Sour milk is also rich in vitamin B12 – the bacteria vitamin. Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria found in foods that animals eat and can therefore be found in cow's milk. The relationship between the skin and vitamin B12 is complex, but the lack of it might cause dull skin or hyperpigmentation.

Other beauty foods found in this recipe are lingonberries, almonds and carrots, hence the porridge is rich in for example vitamin C, zinc, vitamin E and beta-carotene.

Carrots are a favorite ingredient of mine, firstly because they are so tasty and secondly because of their skin health benefits. In one of my previous recipes, I've talked about how the beta-carotene in carrots can help our skin so, head to the retinoodles recipe if you want a reminder. If you want a reminder of how vitamin C promotes skin health you can check out my Vitamin C rumble recipe .

Recipe (2 servings)

Ingredients

2 dl oats

2 dl milk of choice (I prefer oat milk)

2 dl of water

1.5 tablespoons gingerbread spice

0.5 tablespoon dried turmeric

1 small carrot, finely grated

3 dried figs (extra for topping), chopped

1 dl thawed frozen lingonberries

0.5-1 tablespoon honey

1 dl sour milk

3 dl almonds

A pinch of salt

Almond butter

Preheat your oven to 175°C.

Roast the almonds for 10-15 minutes, check that they don't burn.
Mix the almonds with a pinch of salt in a food processor until the oils are released and the butter is dreamy and creamy. This might take a while.

Store in a jar in the fridge.

Christmas Carrot Cake Porridge

Put the oats, gingerbread spice, turmeric and salt in a saucepan and combine well with a spoon.

Add the milk, water and figs. Put the saucepan on medium-low heat and stir occasionally until your desired porridge texture is obtained.

Meanwhile the porridge is cooking and your kitchen smells like Christmas, mix the honey into the lingonberries.

Pour the porridge into a bowl, add some sour milk and top with the lingonberries, almond butter, dried figs and optionally some marcona almonds.

Merry Christmas everyone and enjoy!