Chai and Pear Oatmeal

Pears have never really been my thing. To me, they are just a little too similar to apples, but without the satisfying crunch. However, I find that pears work beautifully in oatmeal, so I buy some occasionally to switch up my routine.

The first time I tried pears in oatmeal, I simply spiced it with vanilla, but I found the result a little dull. Pear has a pretty neutral flavor, so I've learned to play around with stronger flavors in the oatmeal to dress up the pear a little bit. Cue: chai tea!

Using tea as a cooking liquid for oatmeal is a fantastic way to add depth to the flavors of your porridge! (Note: make sure you use a tea with a bold flavor! Otherwise, you'll end up not even tasting it after you've added your oats and cooked your porridge.) The best tea for oatmeal, in my opinion, is chai. It goes so well with so many fruits, and I think it complements pear marvelously.

Chai and Pear Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 Chai teabag
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup milk of choice
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1 bartlett or anjou pear
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp each of ground cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Steep chai tea in hot water (I used Stash Chai Green). Give it at LEAST 15 minutes. I haven't tried letting it steep overnight, but I imagine that would turn out beautifully. The goal here is to get your tea water as concentrated as possible. Before removing the tea bag, give it a good squeeze to extract as much of the flavor as possible.
2. Add your tea to the saucepan, add milk (I used almond) and bring to a boil. Next, add oats (and, optionally, a spoonful of milled flax). Stir.
3. Dice and add the pear into the cooking oats.
4. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and ground cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. This will enhance the chai flavor.
5. If you'd like to add any additional ingredients (coconut oil, nuts, dried fruit, sunflower seeds), do so now.
6. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice and serve with any other toppings (honey, nuts, more cinnamon, etc.) you prefer.

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**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!