#55. Doctor Oatmeal

This is a recipe of my own invention--more of a preparation, really. I was looking to come up with a winter breakfast that would be even healthier than #41. Granola, specifically in that it would have no added sugar and a lot less fat. Oats are wonderfully healthy, full of protein, fiber and iron, without much of anything that's bad for you. I also wanted to incorporate wheat germ, which is a new addition to my diet, and milled flax, which I consider to be my vegan substitute for fish oil capsules.

Get about 1-1/2 cups of water boiling. (I just memorize where the water line is and use the same pot every time.) Add a dash of salt. Throw in 1/2 to 3/4 C. rolled oats (I like Bob's Red Mill Extra-Thick or Organic). I like to let the oats fizz up a bit before turning down the heat, but I'm sure it's not necessary--I just think it makes the finished product a bit thicker. Definitely DO turn down the heat to medium low after a moment, or the oats will overflow and/or scorch in the pan. I like to measure the oats with a little glass custard cup (1/2 C. is at the line and 3/4 C. is at the brim) and then use the same cup to measure my other ingredients.

Add about 1/4 C. wheat germ (you should be keeping this in the fridge since it is not as shelf-stable as the other parts of the wheatberry) and about 2 TBSP (i.e. 1/8 C.) of milled flax seed. STIR, STIR, STIR or the wheat germ will clump and the oats will stick to the pan. When in doubt, STIR. Add 1/4 C. raisins for antioxidants and, even more importantly, SWEETNESS! (You can get a giant box of organic raisins at Costco for about $8--I highly recommend this.) Stir, stir, stir. Pour out about 3/8 C. of walnuts and pick through and pull out any shrively ones and break the rest up with your fingers. Add these when the oatmeal only has about a minute more to cook. (Likewise, you can get 3 lbs. of walnuts at Costco for about $17, but the quality hasn't been great lately--hence picking out shrively ones--and the cost is not much less per pound than other stores.)

When the oatmeal reaches your desired thickness (I like it very thick, not at all runny), scrape it into a bowl and top with cinnamon (which is so healthy that stores actually sell capsules of it in the supplements aisle). Whatever you do, do NOT put sugar on this. The whole point of Doctor Oatmeal is that it makes you healthy. Likewise, milk is unnecessary. I only added apple slices to make the photo less boring, but they tasted pretty good with the oatmeal (just don't cook them into it--I tried one time, and it wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be):

A+ (easy, delicious, and about as healthy as it gets)