If you could have just one meal, repeated, for the rest of your life, what would it be?
For me it would be oats. It’s a little crazy how such a simple dish can be so satisfying, but, it is. And those feelings just keep growing as I find ways that I enjoy them even more.
Oats come with a long list of health benefits: They’re high in fiber, anti-inflammatory, reduce cholesterol and boost heart health, and reduce risk for many chronic diseases. For more information on why oats are good for you, go to NutritionFacts.org and write oats or oatmeal in the search box and you’ll have plenty of information.
Today we’re talking about putting oats on the table. And while I used to eat them cooked, topped with cinnamon and chopped fruit, here is my current favorite breakfast dish. About which I am giddy.
Cinnamon Oat Breakfast Bowl
I love this for its chewiness*, how it takes a while to eat, and for the zing that the spice provides.
In a roomy bowl, mix:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup Grape-Nuts type cereal
1 TBSP chia seeds (or flax seeds)
Generous shake of cinnamon (to liking, mine is at least 1/2 tsp or twice that)
1 chopped apple, pear, banana, mango or combination
Moisten ever so lightly with plant-based milk. You can also moisten with a bit of juice, or, with a bit of water … toss the cereal bowl mix and the juicy fruit taste spreads out.
(Chia seeds, if you’re unfamiliar with them, offer Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, along with fiber and antioxidants.)
I owe the idea of eating oats near dry to recipe goddess Ann Esselstyn, who in her cookbook Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook writes that her favorite way to eat oats is completely dry, fruited and moistened only with halved grapes. Frankly, I found the idea weird until we found ourselves traveling in a Mexican hotel with a fridge but no cooking element. So we tried Ann’s approach, and were hooked! Her husband, Caldwell Esselstyn, MD eats a more complex oat bowl every day (also in the cookbook), and so does her son Rip Esselstyn, of athletic and firefighting and Engine 2 fame. Click to see Rip’s Big Bowl recipe.
This weekend I’ll be putting together a savory oat dish … who knows what oat love lies ahead?
Cheers to good food and health!
