Creamy and delicious, oatmeal with cherries and dried figs is the perfect way to start any morning!
February’s Recipe Redux theme is “break out of breakfast boredom.” I can so relate to this! For years I’ve eaten the same breakfast, peanut butter on a toasted whole wheat pita. It was my very favorite meal of the day. Easy and without any thought, it made me happy. And then one morning it happened. I woke up and just didn’t want it. My heart sank as I knew what this meant. I was back to either skipping breakfast (the horror!) because I couldn’t decide what to eat OR eating something different every day, depending on my mood. Smoothies are a go-to, but I prefer them for lunch. Eggs are great, but just not everyday. Pancakes, waffles and such? Just not happening. So what is left? Oatmeal.
And let me tell you, this oatmeal is worth waking up for.
The combination is pretty devine, if you ask me:
- sweet and creamy from the coconut milk and maple sugar
- a little bit tart from the cherries
- the perfect amount of crunch from the almonds
- texture and sweetness from the figs
I’m not sure what more you could ask for in a breakfast bowl?
I used dried calimyrna figs from Trader Joes, but fresh would be fantastic, too. I let the frozen cherries thaw until they released a bit of their delicious cherry juice. I sprinkled the oatmeal with vanilla powder, one of my favorite spices in the kitchen. The base is plain steel cut instant oats, but it would be pretty amazing if you were to heat up my Cereal Swag. Hmm…why didn’t I think of that?
Try my oatmeal bowl with dried figs and cherries. It’s a delicious and satisfying way to start the day!
Oatmeal with Dried Figs & Cherries
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry instant oats
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup frozen cherries thawed
- 3-4 dried figs sliced in half
- 1 tsp real maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp sliced almonds
- 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk or any milk you prefer
Instructions
- Heat oatmeal with water in microwave. When done, stir in coconut milk and vanilla powder/extract. Drizzle with maple syrup. Top with cherries, figs and nuts.Add more milk if desired.
