At 7:30 PM, two hours into a bouldering session at the gym, pretty much anything sounds delicious. Like oatmeal. I’ve never liked oatmeal. Oatmeal cookies are great and baked oatmeal is amazing, but sloppy gluey oatmeal in a bowl? Ugh. Yet last week, there we were: It was 7:30 and we were still at the gym, starting to feel our stomachs rumble. And somehow, we started talking about oatmeal -- savory oatmeal. And it sounded good. Better than good, it sounded amazing.

This was the dream-state I was in when I first started thinking about this recipe.

Obviously the dream stuck, Because the next day, at 7AM, I was making savory oatmeal. At 8AM my bowl was clean. I had never eaten a bowl of oatmeal so good. It wasn't until 8:03 that I realized I was running really late for a meeting. Not just a meeting, a breakfast meeting. 😯

I hurried out the door and made it to the meeting on time (ok, five minutes late) but I was full. So, I didn't get to eat out for breakfast that day (breakfast is one of my favorite meals to eat out for!) But you know what? That bowl of oats was worth it.

What’s in the bowl:

A savory blend of oats, fresh thyme, butter, and even a bit of nutritional yeast (you can skip the nutritional yeast if you can’t find it in stores, but I love the cheesy flavor it adds).
Sautéd veggies. This recipes calls for leeks and kale, but use what’s in season: roasted red peppers and bacon bits topped with fresh avocado? In! Grilled zucchini with onions? Yes!
Fried egg. Yes, with an extra gooey yolk, because I love that. Cook to your preferences.
Cheese! Goat cheese, but really, any time of cheese is fine.

This recipe is easy to mix up with different veggies and different types of cheese. And I’ve discovered the real secret to why this is so good, which is that I love eggs and cheese and butter. Yes, I admit it. This bowl would be just as good to me if it was served over warm quinoa instead of oatmeal. So, if you, like me, don’t really love oatmeal you might want to try quinoa in this recipe instead. Or, if you've always be on the edge with oatmeal, give this a shot -- it's something different and just might win you over. Just don't make it the same morning as a breakfast meeting, because it will keep you full!

Savory Oatmeal

Published May 29, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 2 | Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the oatmeal:

1-1/2 cup water
1 cup rolled oats
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 pat butter

For the toppings:

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 leek, sliced into half-circles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup kale, roughly chopped
2 fried eggs
1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
Additional salt & pepper for serving, and/or hot sauce

Directions:

Start the oatmeal: Heat the water in a sauce pan until it simmers. Add the oats, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and thyme and cook uncovered for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pat of butter, and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring in the butter. Remove springs of thyme and discard. Turn off the heat.
While the oats are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a skillet. When the oil glistens, sauté the leeks and garlic until soft & fragrant. Add the kale, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bright green.
Using a wooden spatula, push the greens to the side of the skillet, making room for the eggs. Heat the last remaining tablespoon of coconut oil in the pan, and when it’s hot, crack both eggs into the pan. Cook to desired doneness — leaving the yolk runny if you prefer (the runny yolk and oatmeal are a great combo!) or cooking until the yolk is hard.
Assemble: divide the oatmeal between two bowls. Top bowls equally with kale mixture, and add a fried egg to each. Sprinkle half of the cheese over each bowl. Add additional salt & pepper to taste. Serve with hot sauce if desired.

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