We love serving up our favorite old dishes in new ways. Quinoa for breakfast? Absolutely. Crepes for dinner? Yes, please. What about oats? Sure, we’ve tossed them into our smoothies. We’ve even been known sprinkle them in a DIY face mask. But this cozy-as-can-be savory bowl from one of our favorite holistic health counselors, Pamela Salzman is a total game changer and a must-try! Here’s Pamela…
I adore a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning. Comforting, high in fiber and filling, it’s the perfect way to start the day. Oats are a blank canvas for countless toppings, which almost always seem to stray to the sweet side. But why not go savory for a totally different, but equally delicious, take on oats and get an extra serving of veggies to boot? My favorite combo is kale, shiitakes, walnuts and gomasio, a macrobiotic condiment with sesame seeds and sea salt.
The options are limitless. Most anything you would add to polenta, toast or pasta would be fair game on a simple bowl of oats, too (or should I say, game-changing?). Here are some other options I love: sauteed cabbage and scallions, sesame oil, shoyu, gomasio or sesame seeds and a poached egg; shredded zucchini or sautéed asparagus, goat cheese and toasted, salted pistachios; burst cherry tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper, basil and grated Pecorino or Parmesan; or dried chilies, coconut milk, dried unsweetened coconut, toasted cashews, scallions and shoyu.
Savory Steel Cut Oats With Shitake, Kale + Walnuts
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water (use 3 ¾ cups if oats were soaked overnight and drained)
pinch of sea salt
2 Tbsp unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 big bunch kale, stripped and chopped coarsely
½ pound shiitake mushrooms
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (or another nut or seed, toasted or raw)
gomasio for sprinkling on top
Directions:
Place the oats, water and sea salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Lower heat and simmer oats uncovered until oats are tender, about 40 minutes. (Soaked oats only take 30 minutes.)
In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add vegetables, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, and sauté until tender, about 6-8 minutes.
Portion the oats into 4 bowls and top with the vegetable mixture. Add an extra drizzle of olive oil or a different oil like flax, hemp or avocado. Top with walnuts and sprinkle with gomasio.
