It's time for a savory oatmeal recipe! This one is reminiscent of vegan red beans and rice. (Shameless plug: I'm a big fan of the Budget Bytes recipe blog. Beth Moncel's recipes are savory, scrumptious, and low cost.)
Anyway, back to the oats. In this recipe, I incorporated the creaminess of oats with the traditional spices of red beans. (I used pinto beans in lieu of red beans, however, as that is all we had in the house.) I added salsa to emulate the onion and peppers usually added to red beans.
Try this recipe and tell me what you think!
Ingredients:
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1/4 t garlic
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t smoked paprika
Dash cayenne
1/2 c pinto beans (or red beans if you have them)
2 T medium salsa
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, bring oats and water in a boil. Lower to a simmer.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in the spices. Then add the salsa.
3. Fold in the beans and allow them to warm.
4. Transfer the oatmeal to a bowl and enjoy!
Are you a fan of fruit salsa? Peaches and mango? Or strawberry and kiwi? Fruit salsa comes in all sorts of flavors and I've been trying to incorporate it into oatmeal for quite some time. On this particular occasion, I succeeded.
In all of my experimentation with fruit and salsa oatmeal, I think this bowl was successful because of the additions of lime juice and chili powder. The lime juice enhanced the sweetness of the peach, while the chili powder amped up the spice. Sweet and salty and spicy for the win!
Ingredients:
1/2 c rolled oats
1 c water
2 T salsa
1 T peach jam
1 T lime juice
Dash of chili powder
Directions:
1. Combine oats and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
2. Once oats reach desired consistency, reduce heat to low and add the salsa, jam, and lime juice. Stir to incorporate.
3. Add chili powder to taste, transfer to a bowl, and enjoy!
