I love breakfast. I’ve always loved breakfast. In Italy, my
roommates made fun of me for being excited about breakfast the night before. In
college, my friends laughed at the mounds of fruit I poured over my cereal.
But, throughout my lifelong love affair with the first meal of the day, I’ve
never been all that excited by oatmeal. And I never put fruit on oatmeal. In fact, I told my Dad (a lover of
fruit-topped oatmeal) that the combination of fruit (wonderfully fresh fruit)
and mushy oatmeal was just wrong. Sorry, Dad. It turns out you were right on
this one.
I’ve been on an oatmeal kick for the last few months. Here’s
my favorite variation:
1/3 cup Gluten-Free Quick-Cooking Oats (Gluten-Free Rolled
Oats are perfectly fine too)
2/3 cup water
maple syrup
shredded coconut (unsweetened)
dried cranberries
strawberries
sliced almonds, toasted
1. Cook the oatmeal. (I zap it in the microwave for two
minutes.)
2. Top with yumminess.
My friends Lisa and Lisa (not Lisa Lisa) have also become
fairly oatmeal-obsessed. Here are their concoctions:
Oatmeal: Banana Oatmeal Cookie Style
1/2 cup oats (multi grain, porridge style, or Irish
oatmeal are all delightful)
1 cup water
Small banana cut up into small bite size pieces or mashed*
Honey or agave nectar
Chopped walnuts
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Chia seeds (optional)
Put the oats and water in a saucepan and cook on
medium-high heat for 3-4 min (or as the container of oats suggests). When done,
turn off the heat and add the banana, a generous squirt or two of honey or
agave (depending on preferred sweetness/calorie level), and a few chopped
walnuts. Sprinkle in some cinnamon and nutmeg according to taste
preference, but go heavier on the cinnamon and lighter on the nutmeg. Add
some chia seeds (whole or ground) for some added nutritional benefit.
Stir it up and enjoy!!
*This is also delicious with a large handful of frozen
raspberries (or mixed berries) in lieu of bananas. Frozen is better than
fresh in my opinion. As the berries heat in the cooked oatmeal, they add
additional juiciness (not to mention a fun color) which only adds to the
decadence. If you go this route, I would suggest not turning off the heat
entirely as you stir in the frozen berries and other ingredients so that the
oatmeal stays sufficiently warm prior to indulgence.
Cranberry-Maple Slow Cooker Oatmeal (makes 8 servings)
Non-stick Cooking Spray
4 ¾ cups water
1 ½ cups steel-cut oats
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped dried pears
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
Combine everything in a 3 ½ -4 quart slow cooker. Cover
and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
