3 Bowls Oatmeal
One of the presents I got for Christmas (ok, a gift to myself) was 3 Bowls : Vegetarian Recipes from an American Zen Buddhist Monastery.
It's full of great recipes and an insightful look at the daily workings of an American Zen Buddhist Monastery. The rituals and practices are thoughtfully written out and explained by the author. The recipes come from the head chef there and are very intimate give great insight. They both weave together a fine tapestry of tastes and flavors that do not leave the tongue or mind empty.
One of our favorite recipes in the book is one of the first ones in the Breakfast section. Oatmeal has been one of my favorite breakfast foods as long as I can remember. It's very versatile and can be a different meal every time depending on your condiments.
Some variations that we use to make it even more food are easy enough to incorporate and add to the meal without changing the structure too much. Substituting the dried fruit with others types is a plus, we always have dates and raisins in our cupboard. And lately I've had bags of dried cherries/cranberries/blueberries in the cupboard (I use those in the Power bars and Rice Krispy treats).
We also substitute Multi-grain Cereal for some (not all) of the Rolled Oats. Interesting about the multi-grain when you look at it up close, you see its mostly Steel Cut Oats with corn meal, wheat germ and something else unidentifiable mixed in.
For toppings we use, of course, milk or cream. We have also added toasted nuts, honey, more dried fruit (so you get two consistency's, one plumped and the other dried). Cinnamon, Fresh Nutmeg and for a really neat taste, add a Cardamom Pod or two during the cooking (make sure to fish them out before serving, OR break them open and just put the seeds in).
This morning we made the recipe with Dried Cranberries and Multi-Grain Substitutions. The boys got heavy cream and brown sugar on top. I just topped it with Milk and a bit of honey.
Here is the recipe from the book.
Bring 5 ½ Cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in the oats, Sweet Potato, Apricots and salt and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the oats are tender and the sweet potato is cooked, about 20 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.
