To be honest, I was aiming for a strawberry gingerbread flavor for this oatmeal. Traditionally, gingerbread contains molasses as a sweetener. I omitted it and ended up with a porridge stronger in the ginger flavor.
You know what, though? I actually liked the tart flavor. And this simple porridge lends itself to all kinds of potential toppings: almond butter, coconut, crushed ginger snaps, etc. Have fun with this one!
Ingredients:
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
1/2 c frozen strawberries, thawed
Directions:
1. In a small sauce pan, combine oats and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in spices, and then fold in strawberries.
3. When strawberries are warm, transfer oats to a bowl and add toppings as desired.
Just like with the tart strawberry ginger oats, I went sweetener free with this recipe. The canned peaches had some of their own sugar, and that evened out the flavors.
I tasted the cloves most strongly in this recipe, but I liked their warm spice with the warmth of the porridge. I'd definitely make this very simple recipe again!
Ingredients:
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
1/2 c canned peaches
Directions:
1. In a small sauce pan, combine oats and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in spices, and then fold in peaches.
3. When strawberries are warm, transfer oats to a bowl and add toppings as desired.
Are you familiar with the classic Christmas quaff, wassail? It's a mulled cider drink filled with all kinds of warming spices including cinnamon and cloves. Today, I've recreated it in oatmeal form.
Maybe not the prettiest bowl of oats ever, but yummy for sure!
Ingredients:
1/2 c quick oats
1/2 c cranberry grape juice*
1/2 water
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1 T (or more!) natural peanut butter for topping.
Directions:
1. Bring the oats, juice, and water to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
2. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the cinnamon and cloves.
3. Pour the porridge into a bowl and top with the peanut butter.
*Substitute apple cider, apple juice, or straight cranberry juice for a slightly different take on this recipe.
