Although there appear to be many recipes for the Armenian dish called khavits, most of which entail frying semolina or cracked wheat in butter before boiling it, the toppings are what hooked me when I had it for breakfast at an Armenian café in my town. You can crack your own wheat in a blender (see page 59), or use semolina, store-bought seven-grain cereal, or even Cream of Wheat. For added fiber, I usually include a couple of tablespoons of ground flaxseed in each serving.

　　

Ingredients

serves 3 to 4

　　1 cup cracked wheat berries or seven-grain cereal

　　4 cups water (or according to package instructions)

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1/4 cup honey

　　1/4 cup feta cheese

　　1/4 cup crushed pistachios or walnuts or a mixture of the two

　　4 to 8 teaspoons ground flaxseed (optional)

　　1/2 cup half-and-half, low-fat milk, or soymilk

　　

Step 1

Place the cracked wheat, water, and salt in the slow cooker insert. (If you are using something other than wheat you have cracked yourself, use the liquid instructions on the package as your guide.)

　　

Step 2

Cover and cook on low overnight, about 8 hours.

　　

Step 3

In the morning, stir the cinnamon into the wheat, then spoon the cereal into individual bowls and top each portion with 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of feta cheese, 1 tablespoon of pistachios, and 1 or 2 teaspoons of flaxseed.

　　

Step 4

Pour half-and-half over the top and enjoy!

　　

Suggested Beverage

Step 5

I would opt for a cup of freshly brewed black tea, especially one that has fragrant hints of smoke, such as Scottish breakfast tea.

　　Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker