Sweet and Savory Oatmeal Recipe – Taste and Tasty

Today, I'm going to show you how to make the perfect bowl of oatmeal. Oatmeal is one of the easiest healthy meals you can make. And while you can't go wrong with a basic bowl of creamy oatmeal, you can also jazz it up with a variety of sweet and savory flavor combination. I'll give you a few ideas for toppings and some cooking tips in today's recipe.

Ingredients:

So, I say we just dive right in. Today, I'm making oatmeal with old-fashioned rolled oats, which are the ones in the middle here. But steel-cut oats and quick-cooking oats are also popular. So, let me give you some quick pros and cons of the different varieties. Steel-cut oats are whole oat groats chopped into pieces resembling little grains of rice.

 They retain their shape well after cooking and result in a chewy and creamy porridge. But the cooking time is fairly long, about 30 minutes. Old-fashioned rolled oats, which are my favorite oats to use, are steamed then rolled flat, which allows them to be cooked faster while still creating a deliciously creamy and hearty texture. 

Cooking Directions:

Quick-cooking oats are the most processed of the bunch as they're already pre-cooked, dried, rolled, and pressed. They tend to produce a mushier oatmeal. But on the bright side, they only require about one minute to cook. To make perfect oatmeal every time with rolled oats, just remember this easy ratio, one to two. For every portion of oats, you need double the amount of liquid. And for the liquid, you can use water or any type of milk, or a 50/50 blend of the two, which I think makes for that perfect level of creaminess. So, let's make your basic single serving of oatmeal. Add one cup of the liquid of your choice to a pot and bring that to a boil. Once it's boiling, add the oats, a pinch of salt, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir the oats occasionally and let them simmer for about five minutes or until the oatmeal reaches your desired texture and consistency.

 

 I personally prefer my oatmeal a little chunkier. But if you want it creamier, all you have to do is add a splash more liquid. And if you accidentally add too much liquid, just let the oats rest for a bit as they'll continue to absorb and soak it up. You can serve the oatmeal plain or with a splash of milk, or with a variety of toppings, which we'll get to in a second. But that's how easy it is to make oatmeal on the stovetop. The stovetop method is the best method for making several servings of oatmeal. But for single batches, it's also easy to use the microwave. For this method, just combine the water or milk, oats, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Give it a quick stir, then microwave it for a minute and a half to two minutes. The oats will start to bubble a bit, so, I also recommend using a larger bowl to prevent any overflowing. When you remove your oatmeal from the microwave, the bowl will be hot, so just be careful. And the oats may look a bit more liquidly, but just give it a minute to rest and it will soon have the same consistency as the stovetop method. All right, I'm going to make a much larger batch of oatmeal now so that I can show you all of these flavor variations.

 

And again, the ratio is simple. It just doubles the liquid to oats. So, if I'm making four servings, it's two cups of oats to four cups of water. I also want to make a quick note about purchasing gluten-free oats. If you're gluten intolerant or celiac like me, you do need to be careful with what brand of oats, you buy. While oats are naturally gluten-free, the factories that process the oats also process grains such as wheat, barley, or rye. And that creates significant cross-contamination with the oats. So always make sure to buy certified gluten-free oats that are processed in dedicated facilities. When most people think of toppings for oatmeal, fresh fruit is always a favorite. So, let's make an easy strawberry and cream oatmeal. Just slice and dice a few strawberries so, you've got little bite-sized chunks. I always think it's easier to scoop up small pieces of fruit in your oatmeal, rather than large slices. Add a serving of oatmeal to a bowl and top it with a dollop of yogurt, and you could use dairy or dairy-free; a small handful of those diced up strawberries; and a sprinkle of flax seeds for a little omega-3 boost. The next flavor is very falling and winter appropriate, and its apple cinnamon. For this, you'll just dice up an apple. And again, I think small bite-sized chunks are best.

 

But if you want a softer cooked apple topping, you could always use the topping from my apple cinnamon paleo pancakes recipe. Add a portion of oatmeal to a bowl, transfer a small handful of the diced-up apple, add a sprinkle of chopped pecans or walnuts, and then give a generous dash of cinnamon. To finish it off, you can't go wrong with a drizzle of maple syrup. For the next sweet flavor, we're going to quickly make a batch of raspberry chia seed jam. I have this recipe on my website and I've shown you how to make it with strawberries before, but it's so easy with raspberries as well. Just add one pound of washed raspberries to a pot along with two tablespoons of maple syrup and one teaspoon of lemon juice. Give it a stir and simmer it over medium heat for about five to seven minutes, or until the raspberries start to break down. Once they're nice and juicy, use a potato masher to break up any larger chunks, turn off the heat, and then add two tablespoons of chia seeds. Stir the chia seeds into the raspberries, and then transfer the jam to a storage container and let it cool. Of course, it's best to make this jam the day before you'd like to enjoy it so that the chia seeds can thicken up to that jam-like texture. And it will keep in the fridge for about a week.

 

But trust me, you will use it up fast because you're going to want to top it on everything, like this bowl of oatmeal. So, add a good a spoonful or two of the cooled raspberry chia seed jam on top of your oatmeal, sprinkle on some coconut flakes and sliced almonds. And if you'd like it extra creamy, add a good splash of milk. The last of our sweet flavors is really easy and a classic combo, with bananas and blueberries. I don't know about you, but I've always got bananas in my kitchen. So, it's easy to just slice up some banana on top of the oatmeal, add a tablespoon or two of almond butter or your favorite nut butter. And yes, this is my homemade almond butter recipe. And then sprinkle a handful of fresh blueberries and chia seeds. It's a sweet and nutty, and filling combination and always hits the spot. In addition to all of those delicious sweet flavors, let's not forget that oatmeal can be savory too. Think of oatmeal like a piece of toast because toast and oatmeal are both made from grains. So, whatever you would top on your toast, you can top on your oatmeal. I really want to break the notion that oatmeal can only have sweet flavors. It's literally a blank canvas and a great foundation for savory goodness as well. The first flavor I'm going to show you is a Jamy egg was spinach, and I'll quickly salute a few cloves of minced garlic in olive oil and then add a few big handfuls of spinach. And yes, this spinach is all for me. I know it looks like a lot, but it wilts down to such a small amount and I'll just put whatever I don't eat today in a small storage container for tomorrow.

 

Once again, I'll add a serving of oatmeal to a bowl, add some of that garlic sauteed spinach, top it with a soft-boiled egg. And you know my favorite is a six and a half minute Jamy egg. Add a few slices of avocado and sprinkle some chives, salt, and pepper. And see, it looks just like the toppings on a piece of toast. The last flavor starts with one of my favorite salsas, which is Pico de Gallo. It's a simple mix of Roma tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, and salt. And the full recipe for this is on my website. After you've made a fresh batch of the pico de gallo and mixed it all together in a bowl, fry up an egg and top that on your bowl of oatmeal, add a few spoonsful of your fresh Pico de Gallo, top with some microgreens or you could again use a few slices of avocado, and finish it off with some salt and pepper. Its sort of like huevos rancheros meets oatmeal. Hopefully, today's recipe gave you some fresh inspiration for your morning bowl of oatmeal.