Simple Breakfast Polenta

My mother has a bowl of plain cornmeal porridge for breakfast with half a cup of ground white sesame  seeds for breakfast everyday.  No sugar, no salt, no seasoning.  It's how my mom likes it, health food to the max, eating merely for the nutrition. She was always very much a health freak.  I had a very healthy childhood -- no junk food in the house, desserts once in a blue moon, and fried foods didn't exist.   Don't worry, I was a healthy and happy child.  Anyway, back to my mother.   At one point, I think it was when she hit midlife crisis, her diet basically started consisting of only porridge, steamed vegetables and  fruits.  Oh and the essential sweet that must accompany her cappuccino every afternoon at 3 o'clock. 

While I very much value the need for having a healthy diet, I'm not quite at that point yet.  Maybe these are baby steps following my mother's path, because here I'm already eating polenta porridge for breakfast.  But I like to flavor it with nuts and apples and spices and sugar.  Look how pretty.  Isn't it nice to wake up to a colorful breakfast? 

Total time: 10 min   Serves: 1  

Ingredients
1/4 cup quick-cook polenta
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cardamom pods
1 tbsp honey
1/2 apple, sliced
1 tbsp chopped nuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method
Bring milk to boil the vanilla and cardamom pods, and slowly pour in the polenta while whisking continuously.  When you've reached the consistency you like, stir in the honey, half of the nuts and cinnamon.  Top with sliced apples, remaining nuts and some more cinnamon.