Are you a morning person? Quite frankly, I am certainly not. Loathing in bed at the very idea of having to get ready for work every morning, I try hard to get "my feet untangled from the bedsheets" - as goes the Mauritian expression. Did I not have the flexi-time option at work, I'd probably barely make at nine everyday. Despite my numerous attempts at cultivating an early riser habit, there are some currents that still remain hard to fight against. For those ones, my strategy is not to fight against them but to con them and divert the attention.
Do you remember the stories your mama used to tell you when you were a kid to get you to eat your dinner? I remember I would binge on spinach because Popeye would get strong with it.
Luring myself into an attractive tasty breakfast is my cure to pull me back into the stage of life every morning . A brightening breakfast can range from a well made smoothie to a satisfying bowl of oats porridge. Of all the traditional cereal, oats have the highest protein content. But wait, that is not the luring-factor for me; oats are actually a much revered breakfast of the gladiators! Yes, you've read that well - the gladiators. It seems that gladiators ate mostly a vegetarian diet rich in carbohydrates.The very thought of starting the day like a gladiator is what lifts and sparkles my mood. That's the little kid within me that is still seduced by great warrior stories. While I wouldn't dare think that the life of a gladiator was pleasant, stepping outside in today's world though do need a mighty warrior within you.
Infused with the depth and palatability that only fresh vegetables can bring, these are not your average oats porridge. Sugar or maple syrup being no longer the centre of attention in this savoury version, it was now time for a medley of vibrant taste to claim the lead through each spoonful of this porridge made fricassé-style.
That is one bowl of serious goodness that can never go out of style with the plus side of a low sugar content (that will not disturb the low glycemic index of oats) . What more could one possibly ask for? Well, what vegetables you choose is pretty versatile and some finely chopped herbs sound pretty tempting too.
1 cup quick oats (you may also use other types of flake oats; it will result in a different texture)
1 roma tomato
1/3 cup frozen edamame
1/2 cup mushrooms (sliced)
1 teaspoon ginger (minced or grated)
1 tablespoon shoyu soy sauce
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (optional)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Water as needed
Curled parsley or herbs of choice for garnish
- In a dry skillet, add quick oats. Dry roast for about 5 minutes. This releases a nice flavour. Remove oats from skillet and set aside. (You can very well omit this step if short of time)
- Then heat the coconut oil in the skillet. Add ginger and sauté for about 20 seconds.
- Add tomatoes and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes until tomatoes are slightly reduced and turn a little darker in colour.
- At this point, add the mushroom and edamame. Add soy sauce. Stir and let cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Next add oats along with 1 cup water. Add nutritional yeast if using.
- Stir well and let cook for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring and adding more water if required.
- If adding non-dairy milk, allow porridge to reduce a little and add milk.
- The consistency of this porridge should be oozy and not stodgy or creamy like traditional porridge. So, be careful on the amount of water you are adding to cook.
- Turn off heat.
- Garnish with finely chopped fresh herbs before serving.
Looks delicious!! Great idea :) Normally breakfast tends to lean towards sweet for me, but this looks amazing!
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