News Taffy

Every once in awhile, it’s good to look at something familiar from a different perspective. It opens up a whole new world of ideas and possibilities when we do. I enjoy looking at food in different ways and have learned over the years that there are no hard and fast rules. When I was younger, I never thought of nutmeg as belonging in a fish dish but I have a wonderful recipe that proves otherwise. The same with peanut butter and chicken but I posted a delicious recipe using both on my other blog at thecardiologistswife.blogspot.com recently. However, I was really thrown off when reading an article about savory oatmeal. I just couldn’t picture it.

I love oatmeal now, but as a child, you couldn’t force the stuff in me. Trust me, my dad tried. I know now that my parents lacked sufficient imagination when it came to making oatmeal. The oatmeal I make is nothing like the boring, grey glop they vainly put in front of me. I add all kinds of things from chopped apples or peaches to nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch of heavy cream. Sometimes I use regular oats but sometimes I feel like steel cut oats. I make them in the crockpot or mix them up with other good stuff and bake it like a giant oatmeal coffee cake. The one thing I never, ever thought about was adding cheese, olive oil, pepper and an egg to my oatmeal. Pepper? In oatmeal? The picture accompanying the article was interesting but it made me feel slightly queasy at the thought.

Still, being the foodie I am, I had to try it. Of course that meant my family was forced to try it too. So here is the recipe for savory oatmeal. Give it a try. The review from my family is mixed; even I still have mixed feelings. My children emphatically did not like it, even my daughter who likes most things. My husband says he does like it, after trying it twice. I am not sure how I feel. It wasn’t bad but then again, not something I love either. It is very filling.

Savory Oatmeal For Two

INGREDIENTS:
*1 cup old fashioned oats
*1 3/4 cup water
*1/8 tsp. salt
*4 Tbsp. parmesan cheese (a good quality cheese is important, do not use the stuff from the green can)
*2 Tbsp. olive oil or to taste, too much is definitely not good here
*black pepper to taste
*2 eggs, cooked sunny side up

DIRECTIONS:  Prepare oatmeal according to package directions. When oatmeal is nearly done, cook the eggs in a small skillet coated with cooking spray. Salt and pepper the oatmeal to taste, then add a bit of olive oil. Divide oatmeal between two bowls and top with an egg. Sprinkle each egg with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

You can change this up by using cheddar cheese and adding a bit of diced ham or bacon. It is a healthy way to get some fiber, protein, iron and heart healthy fat.

Until next week,
Lisa