I will admit right off the bat that I like oatmeal. I eat it quite often and for some reason I have been experimenting with variations lately-cooking has been a creative outlet for me for a long time. This morning’s oatmeal version was a winner and since it is now quite hot in Santa Fe it felt like a good “summer oatmeal” to share.
My inspiration came from left over basmati rice from a really nice dinner last night with a friend. I cooked the basmati with one cinnamon stick and a few cardamom pods tossed in from the beginning.
This morning I made my usual oatmeal and then added some of the cooked basmati once the oatmeal was ready. I added some extra water so that it was not so thick, but rather like a creamy, rice pudding consistency.
Once in my bowl I added a small amount of brown sugar, half of a banana sliced thin, a spoonful of almond butter and a sprinkling of golden flax seeds. A few stirs to combine it all and it was a great, light breakfast.
The possibilities are pretty endless on what you could top it with, here are a few:
rice syrup, maple syrup, agave or honey instead of brown sugar
fresh blueberries or strawberries
walnuts, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds
raisins or dates
Be creative add your favorite nuts, seeds, or fruit.
I often hear people comment that eating organic, or healthy is too expensive for them. I think that this is not necessarily the case if people are willing to cook a little bit. This breakfast is a great example of how inexpensive it can be to eat organically. If all of the ingredients mentioned, or most of them, were organic this still would be a really inexpensive breakfast, and everyone in your family could “have it their way”.
