Loyal readers of the oat blog of record know I don’t shy away from a dollop of yogurt atop my morning oatmeal. I’ve tried the blogger-fueled obsession with yoats, or yogurt covered oats. They didn’t do it for me. 

Tossing my fruit in yogurt, though, is primary genius, oatizens. I coated tiny pieces of kiwi, strawberries, bananas, blueberries with the tangy nectar of the cow gods, and bliss ensued. 

His…

and hers.

‘

All mine! 

Oatventures in Scarcity: When nary a fresh ingredient can be found and breakfast appears in peril, we make do, my loves — we make do and emerge triumphant!

The fridge was looking quite lonely this morning. I swung the door ajar and found the shelves sparsely populated. The contents had been steadily abducted throughout the week, without replenishment. Even the yogurt container felt perilously light, so I shut the door to regroup.

Rosie suggested I check the dried fruit supply. (Yes, she can talk, but oddly enough I’m the only one who can hear it.) Sure enough, an unopened bag of Trader Joe’s tropical fruit appeared before my eyes, a gift from oat almighty.

TJ’s is fast and loose with their diction. Mango, yes, obviously tropical, but cranberries and blueberries? You’re on notice, TJ’s.

It was a totally delicious mix, though, so that made up for the categorical indiscretion.

Tropical Fruit Oatmeal

1 cup of water
1/2 cup of oats
1/3 cup of TJ’s tropical fruit mix
1 pinch of cinnamon
1/3 cup of yogurt

Bring water to a boil, add oats and stir a couple of times until all the water is absorbed. Pour into a bowl and top with dried fruit and yogurt. Enjoy!

Comments? You can make them by clicking on the heading.

Alright, I admittedly got carried away with that header. It is unlikely that jaws will drop when I reveal that I’m a fan of oatmeal and the New York Times. Consequently, when the latter ran an entire article on former in late January, I was intrigued. The marriage of oats and blueberries is nothing new, but their recipe included steps I don’t usually take. The recipe instructed that I add cinnamon, honey, and salt at the same time as the oatmeal. I usually abstain from using salt, and I don’t add the other additions until a moment before serving. I learned that seasoning trick from Ina Garten, and the women knows her business.

They also suggested stewing the blueberries in the oatmeal, and, as you can see, they popped and colored the whole thing a lively purple.

Rosie, Oatally Awesome’s Publisher, didn’t say anything, but the purple hue clearly gave her paws. I assured her it was very good.

Here’s the thing: I rarely have fresh blueberries in the winter. My lofty aspiration of buying seasonal ingredients, coupled with the high price of berries during winter, usually precludes me from enjoying fresh blueberries in March. My dear Mr. Lee, however, the owner of my favorite fruit and vegetable store on Atlantic, priced them irresistably low. I was loathe to stew them when I had dried and frozen blueberries on hand. Indeed, I regretted it.

I had half a box of the blueberries leftover, so I tried the recipe again. I omitted the salt, and added the blueberries, spice,orange zest, and honey only minute before serving, and I much preferred it.

The leap from very good to fantastic is small, but meaningful, when we take on the most serious issue of morning oatmeal.

Blueberry Oatmeal

1 cup of water
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
Dash of cinnamon
1 teaspoons mild honey (I’m still using my blueberry honey from Vermont)
1/2 cup of rolled oats
1/3 cup blueberries
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped or grated orange zest

Bring 3/4 a cup of water to a boil. Follow the NYT recipe and add the ingredients, save the blueberries, now. Reduce to a simmer. When the oats have absorbed the majority of the liquid, add the blueberries and remaining water. If you’re following my recipe, add the remaining ingredients.

Serves one person. That would be me.

Post Script: Hey, NYT - because you’re clearly reading this - Rosie would like Sam Sifton to drop her a line. She thinks his writing is coming along swimmingly, and that he might, one day, be able to write for Oatally Awesome. Contact info below.

Comments? Make them! I want to hear your voice. I bet its nice.

Recipe suggestions? Questions? Email me oatallyawesome@gmail.com.

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