Savory Oatmeal

Maybe some of you are already onto this, but it was new to me. Doc says I need to eat healthier, more fiber, etc. Oatmeal is a great thing for that, and I still do my Swiss oatmeal about 1x/month. But one of the reasons I don't do the Swiss oatmeal more regularly is that I find it too sweet - even though the only sweetener in it is a couple of diced up apples or pears. 

So I started thinking about savory oatmeal - specifically, steel-cut oatmeal. It's not that dissimilar from having any other rice or noodle bowl - a little looser, but that's OK, and it tightens up as it sits in the fridge. I generally do heat it up rather than having it chilled like the Swiss oatmeal. 

So far I've done it a Mediterranean take and a Southwestern one. No recipe, really - just added stuff on hand until I liked the results. They worked roughly like this: 

Mediterranean: 

• 2 servings of cooked steel-cut oats
• 1/2 zucchini, diced and lightly sauteed
• 1 cup leftover fajita veg (red and yellow peppers and onion, sauteed)
• 8-10 olives (I used some kalamata and some green), sliced
• 1/2 cup of leftover roast pork
• Zest and juice from one lemon
• About 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp crumbled feta
• Salt & pepper to taste

Mixed the veg & pork into the oats, mixed up the lemon, vinegar, and olive oil and drizzled over the top, topped with feta & salt & pepper

Southwestern:

• 2 servings of cooked steel-cut oats
• 1 cup leftover fajita veg
• 1 15-oz can of black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1/2 cup shredded chicken
• Zest and juice from one lime
• 2-3 tbsp of sharp shredded Cheddar
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced

This one's even easier - put everything into the oatmeal pan and combine. 

Both of these make enough for at least a couple of meals for me. 

Think I might try a barbecue pulled pork next, and thinking about how to get to a Thai or Vietnamese version as well.