Savory Oats w Green Beans

Most people, including my husband, grew up eating Instant Oats out of a serving sized sachet. Most people, including my husband (and I), often gagged at the taste of wet cardboard in our mouths. It was either too sugary, or too tasteless to be considered food. I've never been a fan of instant oats and so until recently have stayed away from oats, in general. Whenever I hit a 'healthy eating' phase in past years, I'd buy a 6-pack of instant oatmeal and eat it over months, gagging all the way.

In recent months, since I went plant-based, I've heard such wonderful things about Oats and how good they are for the heart & so I've started including Old Fashioned Oats in my diet. I tried a few recipes for overnight oats. Mostly, I tolerate it and I've come to the conclusion that it is because I've never liked eating sweet breakfasts. For those of you who're interested, here's an excellent blog post about Oats and Avenanthramides - polyphenolic antioxidants found in oats which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and anti-itching activity, and have been implicated to provide additional protection against coronary heart disease, colon cancer, and skin irritation. Here's another peer-reviewed article which discusses the effect of avenanthramide on inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. All in all ... Oats are great for your heart ... so eat away!! And this recipe will go a long way in making your eating enjoyable!! :)

Savory Oats with Green Beans

Prep Time: 15-20 min

Ingredients (2 servings):

1. 1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
2. 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (I use Silk)
3. 4 Sun-Dried tomatoes (Plain dried, Whole foods 365 brand, sliced w kitchen scissors)
4. 1 small Red Onion (julienned)
5. 1 cup French-cut Green Beans (or any other vegetable you like, spinach would be great!)
6. 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
7. 1/2 tsp Mustard powder
8. 1/2 tsp Cumin Seed powder
9. A pinch of Turmeric
10. A pinch of Smoked Chipotle Pepper powder (optional; this packs some heat!).
11. Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In 2 separate microwave safe bowls, add 2 sliced sun-dried tomatoes, 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats and 1/2 cup almond milk. Microwave each on high for 3 minutes and set aside. After a few minutes, mix well so that the oats are moist, yet crumbly. I used a 1:1 proportion of oats to liquid as I don't like them mushy (see notes above about instant oats!). You can increase the liquid if you like.  

Oats and Tomatoes (after microwaving)

In a non-stick skillet, saute onions in water until caramelized to a rich maroon color. if you've never sauteed onions in water before - see this recipe. This should only take 4-6 minutes. Once done, remove onions from skillet and set aside. Line the same skillet with water and add garlic, mustard, cumin and turmeric to the water and add green beans. I used frozen french-cut green beans. Allow the beans to thaw and the spices to blend in well. Mix until done (fork tender) adding a splash or two of water as needed to prevent burning. Once beans are done, add onions to the mix, give it all a quick toss and divide the veggies over the 2 bowls of oats and sun-dried tomatoes. Add salt and pepper, as needed. Serve warm. 

Savory Oats with Green Beans

My Assessment: I loved it. This is my new favorite breakfast. I can easily make the veggies in a larger batch and refrigerate and then prepare the oats and tomatoes in the morning before work in the microwave. Looking forward to a whole new way of eating breakfast :)

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 390 (Fat Calories 74)
Total Fat 8.2; Cholesterol 0g; Carbohydrates  63.7g; Dietary Fiber 11.2g; Sugars 6.3g; Protein 12.9g