Broiled Orange Oatmeal

Oranges are in season, but sometimes it is hard for me to want to eat them. Therefore, I decided to try something new: putting oranges in my oatmeal. I read on The Oatmeal Artist blog that it is hard to make orange flavor come through, so I went all out for this recipe: zesting orange, and using juice in the actual oatmeal, then topping the oatmeal with broiled orange slices. (I had never broiled oranges before.) I will admit that this recipe was pretty orange-y, but it was still a fun experiment in cooking.

Ingredients:

½ c quick cooking oatmeal

1 c water

1 T ground flax seed

¼ t ground cinnamon

1 orange

1 t brown sugar

Drizzle of honey for topping.

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the orange.

2. Zest the orange on a zester, or a fine grater. (Zesting means grating off the orange part of the skin until only the white pith remains.)

3. Cut the orange in half and juice it. (Use a juicer, or simply squeeze the orange juice into a cup.) Discard the peel.

4. Bring water and oats to a boil. Reduce heat to medium.

5. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the flax seed, cinnamon, orange zest, and orange juice.

6. Meanwhile, slice the remaining half of an orange. Spread each slice of orange with approximately 1/4 t of brown sugar. Broil until sugar is crystallized and the edges of the orange peel are slightly dark.

7. When oatmeal has absorbed orange juice, transfer it to a bowl and drizzle the bowl with honey (or sprinkle with more brown sugar-this oatmeal is very tart). Top with the broiled orange slices.

Enjoy.