Date-jeweled Oatmeal

Mmmm! This is my breakfast, every single day of every single week and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a huuuuge bowl of toasty oatmeal with cinnamon and nutmeg and chopped dates (and a pretty generous amount of salt). I sit down with this like an old friend every morning and proceed to eat it i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-y slowly, reading a good book, for about 2 hours. hee!


I do have to mention how involved something this simple can be, though. Every bag of oats is different, and I gotta taste and smell and taste again to get everything JUST right. Timing for texture is everything! Anyway, here's the super simple recipe :

Date-Jewelled Oatmeal
(makes enough for 2, or if you're me, 1)

2/3 cup of regular rolled oats
1 1/3 cups cold water
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
a couple grates of fresh ground nutmeg
a pinch of ground ginger or allspice (optional)
1/4 cup chopped dates
salt to taste

- put the water and almond milk on to boil, covered
- once it's boiling, toss in the oats and give it a good stir, reduce heat to med-low and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes
- I like it when the liquid has turned creamy and smooth, but not too gummy, which is a pretty narrow window, so watch carefully!
- stir in the spices, salt and fruit, then pour it into your friendliest bowl, sit down with a piping mug of coffee and go eat breakfast like a champ!

This is the best mug EVER, by the way. ^_^

PS: Tips For Keeping Your Oatmeal Warm For Crazy Amounts Of Time --

Put a saucer-plate on top of the bowl and nestle the whole thing in the folds of a tea-towel (or if you're like me, a bedspread). Warm for hours!