oatmeal, four ways

I’ve been eating so much oatmeal lately, and I’ve been mostly enjoying it on the savory side, which is why a couple weeks ago, I was chomping at the bit to post about buttered corn oatmeal and oatmeal topped with bacon, eggs, scallions, and za’atar. I might have even said some things, like “I suppose there might come a day when I’ll eat sweet oatmeal voluntarily.” And I even posted these super hearty recipes first in spite of my sweet versus savory oats instagram poll, where sweets oats totally dominated with an insane lead (why are you still following me??).

But even though I’m only now getting around to posting it, trust that I worked on this sweet oatmeal post a week or two before falling madly in love with savory oats. So although I now look at all these perfect mulberries and luscious honey drizzles with regret (it should be bacon crumbles and runny egg yolk!), you can trust that these recipes were created by someone who was still in love with sweet. (And full disclosure, I totally had the tahini date syrup one the other night).

basic oatmeal

1 cup old fashioned oats*
2 cups your milk of choice
1/4 teaspoon salt

• Bring everything to a simmer over medium heat, stirring every minute or so. Once it comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and the oatmeal softens and cooks through. Everyone prefers a different doneness, so taste it while you cook, and stop cooking once it’s done to your liking.

*If you’re cooking for someone who can’t eat gluten, make sure you get gluten free oats.

baklawa oatmeal

cardamom + walnuts + raw pistachios + honey*

Top with a small handful of walnuts and pistachios, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with a small pinch of cardamom. Feel free to lightly toast the walnuts (or not!), but leave the pistachios raw.

tahini date syrup oatmeal

tahini + date syrup + sesame seeds

Drizzle with tahini, then drizzle with date syrup, and sprinkle with sesame seeds (feel free to use both black and white seeds for extra contrast). If you don’t have date syrup, feel free to use honey (or a mixture of honey and molasses).

galaktoboureko oatmeal

orange blossom water + honey* + vanilla bean

Mix about 1/8 teaspoon of orange blossom water with a little honey, drizzle over oatmeal, and sprinkle with 1/2 of 1 scraped vanilla bean in the center.

rose berry oatmeal

raw pistachios + almonds + berries + rosewater + honey* + rose petals (optional)

Top with raw pistachios, slivered or sliced almonds, berries (pictured: mulberries and pitted cherries). Mix a little honey with just a few drops of rosewater (less than 1/8 teaspoon), and drizzle on top. Sprinkle with a couple rose petals.

* Feel free to use agave instead of honey in any of these recipes to make them vegan. Date syrup or maple syrup also would work well in the galaktoboureko oatmeal.