Oatmeal with Blueberries and Cream

What could be better on a cool, rainy morning than a warm bowl of oatmeal with fresh blueberries and cream? 😉

I couldn’t wait to publish this simple but tried and true recipe, since it has been a favorite breakfast of mine for as long as I can remember. I even make it on cold winter evenings for a warm, guilt free dessert. So good.

The ingredients

The ingredients for this creamy oatmeal couldn’t be simpler. They are:

• Old fashioned rolled oats*
• Whey, lemon juice or apple-cider vinegar (optional, if soaking; see below)
• Fresh blueberries
• Coconut sugar
• Butter
• Cream
• Chopped walnuts (not shown here, but delicious!)

*Note: If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, make sure to use certified gluten free oats to avoid cross contamination issues with wheat.

Soaked oats — the key to better digestion

While this step isn’t required to cook a great pot of oatmeal, it is highly recommended. 😉 Not only does it make the oats more easily digestible in the morning, it actually shortens cooking time which makes breakfast prep even faster. And this step is super simple.

The night before cooking your oatmeal, simply place the the raw oats in a glass jar or measuring cup and pour in plain filtered water to cover. Then, add a little whey, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar, stir, and loosely cover.

I personally like to skim off a little whey from plain yogurt if I have some handy (it's the liquid part of the yogurt.) Otherwise, I'll squeeze some fresh lemon juice or use a bit of apple cider vinegar if I don’t have either yogurt or a lemon available.

The general idea here is to choose an acidic liquid to help break down the phytic acid and other anti-nutrients in the raw oats, releasing healthy minerals and making your oatmeal more digestible at the same time.

Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and leave your oats out at room temperature overnight. In the morning, just rinse your oats and cook normally. They’ll be ready in less time than non-soaked oats, and will be much more nutritious as well.

A quick note about apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a kitchen staple in our house, with its many culinary and wellness uses. Plus, it's not only inexpensive but it also has an extremely long shelf life (we’re talking years in the cupboard), making it one of those no-brainer pantry items to have on hand.

Now comes the fun part—putting everything together.

The method

Place your soaked oats in a strainer and give them a little rinse under cold water to remove any strong flavor from your acidic agent (lemon juice, etc.) Then add them to a small cooking pot along with an equal amount of water or just a bit more than equal, depending on how creamy you like your oatmeal. For unsoaked oats, use twice the amount of water as oats.

Cook over medium high heat for a few minutes or until the water has been incorporated. Turn down the heat to low and finish cooking for another minute or two. (Unsoaked oats usually require a couple more minutes of cooking time.)

Place your oatmeal into a serving bowl and top with a little coconut sugar, butter, cream and fresh blueberries. Breakfast is served!

You might also like:

• Kimchi Breakfast Bowl
• Mini Paleo Crepes with Strawberries
• The Best Gluten Free Banana Bread