Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Ways to spice up your hot cereal this winter | CBC News (2024)

Calgary·recipes

Red River cereal is back! The hot cereal, made with a blend of cracked wheat,ryeandflaxseed, was created in Manitoba in 1924and named for theriver valley surroundingWinnipeg.

Red River cereal is back, which got CBC's food columnist thinking about muffins

Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Ways to spice up your hot cereal this winter | CBC News (1)

Julie Van Rosendaal · CBC News

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Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Ways to spice up your hot cereal this winter | CBC News (2)

Red River cereal is back! The hot cereal, made with a blend of cracked wheat,ryeandflaxseed, was first created in Manitoba in 1924and named for theriver valley surroundingWinnipeg.

Red River ceased distribution in Canada near the beginning of the pandemicand then production ceased entirely. But then, in June of 2022, Arva Flour Mills—North America's oldest continuously operating commercial flour mill, situated just north of London, Ont.—acquired the Red River brand from Smucker Foods.

The mill is in the process of acquiring a hammer mill to crack the wheat, rye and flax in order to restore the cereal to its original texture.

Fans of these coarse, grainy porridges also love Sunny Boy, similarly made ofwheat, ryeand flax, and produced in Camrose, Alta., since 1926.

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Highwood Crossing in High River also has a locally made (and grown) hot cereal. Power Grains is not like Red River and Sunny Boy. It's a delicious blend of organic oats, millet, flax and sunflower seed.

Of course, it's not just for breakfast.

We spoke about a few ways to mix up your use of hot cereal on the Calgary Eyeopener this week.

LISTEN | Julie Van Rosendaal explains why she loves hot cereal:

You can make hot cereal savoury by simmering it with stock and garlic, and perhaps a parmesan rind.Add grains and water to the pot after sautéing a shallot in some butter or oil, and stir in any leftover cooked veggies you have.

A small handful is also a great addition to soup. The finer bits will thicken the stock slightly, and you'll get some texture from the larger cracked grains.

Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Ways to spice up your hot cereal this winter | CBC News (3)

And if you have any leftover cooked porridge, you can always slice and fry it in butter, or turn it into bread, muffins, pancakes or waffles.

If you don't have leftovers, you can begin by soaking your Red River or Sunny Boy in some milk (or even boiling water) to soften.

Red River or Sunny Boy Muffins

Grainy Red River and Sunny Boy makes excellent muffins, whether you have leftover cooked porridge or need to soak some to start.

If you have some leftover, anywhere from one to two cups will work fine.

Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Ways to spice up your hot cereal this winter | CBC News (4)

Ingredients

  • ¾cup Red River or Sunny Boy cereal
  • 1½cups milk or buttermilk (any kind,I used oat milk)
  • ¾cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup canola or other vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1½cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • a shake of cinnamon (optional)
  • ½tsp fine salt
  • ½ - ¾cup raisins, chocolate chips or chopped nuts (optional)
  • coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Put the Red River or Sunny Boy into a large bowl, pour over the milk and let stand for an houror overnight (warm up the milk to speed things up if you're in a hurry).

Stir in the brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla.

Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and stir just until combined.

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Stir in the raisins (or chocolate chips, or nuts).

Line a muffin tin with paper liners and fill them to the top (even overflowing a little, if the batter isn't too runny).

Bake for 20 minutes, until domed and springy to the touch.

Makes about a dozen muffins.

Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Ways to spice up your hot cereal this winter | CBC News (5)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Ways to spice up your hot cereal this winter | CBC News (6)

Julie Van Rosendaal

Calgary Eyeopener's food guide

Julie Van Rosendaal talks about food trends, recipes and cooking tips on the Calgary Eyeopener every Tuesday at 8:20 a.m. MT. The best-selling cookbook author is a contributing food editor for the Globe and Mail, and writes for other publications across Canada.

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Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Ways to spice up your hot cereal this winter | CBC News (2024)

FAQs

Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Ways to spice up your hot cereal this winter | CBC News? ›

You can make hot cereal savoury by simmering it with stock and garlic, and perhaps a parmesan rind. Add grains and water to the pot after sautéing a shallot in some butter or oil, and stir in any leftover cooked veggies you have. A small handful is also a great addition to soup.

How do you eat Red River cereal? ›

Red River Cereal comes in distinct red packaging with yellow accents (although in its Arva incarnation, it comes in a resealable bag rather than a box). Its instructions direct consumers to boil it with water and salt for 12 to 14 minutes, “stirring occasionally until desired consistency.”

What are the ingredients in Red River cereal? ›

Made the original way - Red River Hot Cereal is made with Cracked Wheat, Cracked Rye, Cracked Flax and Whole Flax. That's it. Red River Cereal has a classic, creamy texture and has become a breakfast staple for thousands of Canadians for nearly a Century! Natural and healthy - With no additives or sugar.

Where is Sunny Boy cereal made? ›

Sunny Boy Foods is a Canadian company that produces flours, breakfast cereals, pancake, and waffle mixes. Located in Alberta, the Sunny Boy Foods head office is in Edmonton, with the company mill based an hour away in Camrose.

What are the ingredients in Sunny Boy cereal? ›

Additional detailsAdditional details
Country Produced In‎Canada
Parcel Dimensions‎24.9 x 21.2 x 7.2 cm; 907 g
Ingredients‎Wheat, Rye, Flax
Item Weight‎907 g
Package information‎Box
6 more rows

Is Red River hot cereal healthy? ›

Red River Cereal has a classic, creamy texture and has become a breakfast staple for thousands of Canadians for nearly a Century! Natural and healthy - With no additives or sugar. Red River Hot Cereal is a quick and easy meal with a natural and healthy twist.

What happened to Red River hot cereal? ›

Then in mid-2020, near the beginning of the CoViD-19 pandemic, Red River Cereal was no longer distributed in Canada, but was rumoured to be available by November 2020 after packaging changes were made. However, in March 2021, Smucker's announced that production of Red River Cereal had ceased entirely.

What is the oldest cereal brand? ›

Granula wasn't much like the cereal we eat today. The first manufactured breakfast cereal, it was developed in 1863 by a doctor and health reformer named James Caleb Jackson. Jackson believed, as many did at the time, that sicknesses were based in the digestive system.

What cereal is healthy for diabetics? ›

Kellogg's All-Bran, Quaker Oatmeal, and Cream of Wheat are some popular breakfast cereals that are good options for people with diabetes.

Is Sunny Boy cereal same as Red River? ›

You will of course remember that Red River Cereal, another mixture of wheat, rye and flax, had hit the shelves in 1926. Although containing the same basic ingredients, both of those hot breakfast cereals had slightly different recipes. Sunny Boy Cereal might have contained a tad more rye for example.

What cereal has the least amount of ingredients? ›

Barbara's Shredded Wheat stands out from other types of cereal in that it has only a single ingredient: 100% whole wheat. The wheat is shredded in the form of biscuits that you can crush up and serve with milk. This product also contains no added sugar — a rare quality among store-bought cereals.

How is cereal supposed to be eaten? ›

The milk or the cereal? This is where the debate on “how to eat cereals right” gets almost philosophical. The rule is that there is no rule. But if you're aiming for perfect cereal-to-milk ratio and optimal crunch, you should start with the milk first and add cereals gradually to match the quantity of milk in the bowl.

Can you soak Red River Cereal overnight? ›

Put the Red River or Sunny Boy into a large bowl, pour over the milk and let stand for an hour or overnight (warm up the milk to speed things up if you're in a hurry).

Can I microwave Red River Cereal? ›

It was sold in distinct red boxes and came in Original, Ready to Serve and Ready to Serve flavoured (both Maple and Brown Sugar) versions. The Ready to Serve kind of Red River Cereal could be prepared in the microwave, or by pouring boiling water on them and letting them sit.

How do you eat Grapenut cereal? ›

Eat it crunchy, softened to taste, or in smoothies!

this cereal is very deserving of one. It taste great! It's very nutritious, You can eat it crunchy or let it sit (like you would with Chai seeds) and it will soften up. You choose how soft you get it by how long you let it sit.

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