Banana Nut Oatmeal

The three people in our household are big, BIG fans of oatmeal for breakfast on a cold winter's morning. We typically stick to our simple favorites, but do like to fancy it up sometimes. Last week I was surfing around Serious Eats (a website that makes me want to head into the kitchen every time I visit) and saw this article that gave a couple of delicious-looking and yet simple oatmeal recipes. I gave the choice of which we would eat the next morning to Aaron, and he chose Banana Nut Oatmeal, and oh, how glad I am that we ate this, because it was an easy, delicious alternative to our normal weekday morning oatmeal.

Banana Nut Oatmeal

source: Serious Eats

I doubled the original recipe and made a couple of other tweaks based on food allergies and preferences. Altered, the recipe made enough for the three of us to have a nice-sized breakfast.

2 Tbsp. chopped pecans
1 large, slightly overripe banana
1 c. Quaker old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 c. milk (we used 1%)
2/3 c. water
4 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
A few shakes cinnamon
1 shake nutmeg
A few dashes Kosher salt

Mash the banana with a fork until it forms a wet puree. In a small pot, combine banana puree, oatmeal, milk, water, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. (Don't leave out the salt, it really helps enhance the other flavors.) Heat over medium until it reaches your preferred consistency, stirring occasionally. (I brought it to a simmer and cooked for five more minutes, which was perfect for us.) Top with pecans, and enjoy.