Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I enjoy steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast. It’s a healthful meal, but on its own, day after day, it can be bland and boring. So I’m trying to spruce it up a bit. Today’s experiment was for a chilly, rainy fall day: pumpkin pie oatmeal.

I prefer steel-cut oatmeal to regular (rolled) or instant oatmeal. I think it’s healthier - I also think it’s got a more interesting flavor and texture. It takes a little more care though, and takes longer to cook.

Steel-cut oatmeal	Rolled oats

The recipe is a straightforward translation of pumpkin pie filling, skipping the fat because why ruin a healthy food with it? And also it’s just unnecessary.

1/4 cup steel-cut oats 1/4 cup pumpkin puree 1 cup 1% milk (or whatever kind you prefer) 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or brown sugar, or honey, or the sweetener of your choice) 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ginger (I omitted this because I ran out) pinch of salt

I’m down on rice cookers because it’s actually pretty easy to make rice. But - they are great for making steel-cut oatmeal, especially if you want it ready when you get up in the morning. So I dump all this in my steel-cut oatmeal maker, put it on porridge mode and let it go. If you cook it on the stove-top, put the ingredients together in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally so that it doesn’t burn on the bottom.

I like my oatmeal wet, and between the milk and the pumpkin puree, this should come out pretty wet. If you like your oatmeal drier, reduce the milk to 3/4 cup (or even less).

I also add some protein powder to my oatmeal so that it’s not quite so carby. You run the risk of it clumping into unpleasant little rubbery bits (which there were a few of), but if you mix it in well enough with the oatmeal mixture it should be okay.

The results? I was very happy with them, and will gladly make this again. 1/4 cup of oatmeal is usually right for one serving, but with the addition of 1/4 cup of pumpkin, this felt more like 1.5 or even 2 servings, so there’s some left over for later.