As anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while can tell, I love breakfast. But it’s a lot more constrained than dinner, and it’s made first thing in the morning, when I am not at my most patient or imaginative. That means it’s easy to get into a rut.
About a week ago, I was looking for a healthy, quick breakfast. To me, that means oatmeal. But I was so bored with plain oatmeal, even with its accompanying little dishes of brown sugar and nuts and dried fruit.
Then I remembered the jar of “Sweet D” brand unsweetened local apple butter I had bought at La Montanita Co-op a few days earlier. Designed for diabetics, it was very flavorful and surprisingly sweet – but not quite sweet enough to satisfy when spread on biscuits. Perfect. I started the oatmeal as usual, then threw in a couple of heaping spoonfuls of the apple butter and a handful of chopped dried apples. When it was done, I tasted it; it was delicious, but a little too tart, so I drizzled in a little apple cider syrup. (Maple syrup would also be wonderful.)
With just two minutes of extra hands-on work, I had transformed a rather boring bowl of oats into something special. We ate every bite.
Double-Apple Oatmeal
Serves 2; 20 minutes total, 10 minutes hands-on
1-3/4 cups water
dash salt
1 cup regular or “old-fashioned” rolled oats (not quick-cooking, instant, or steel-cut)
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup roughly chopped dried apples (or 1/2 cup chopped fresh apple)
2 tablespoons maple syrup or cider syrup, optional
Toppings as desired: nuts, dried fruit, brown sugar, maple syrup, milk or cream, etc
Bring water and salt to boil in a medium saucepan. Add oats, stir, and return to a low simmer. Stir in apple butter and dried or fresh apples. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and cover. Let rest 5 minutes while you put the toppings in dishes and set the table. Taste and add syrup if you want more sweetness.
Spoon the oatmeal into bowls and serve.
Talk to me!