Apricot Granola Oatmeal

Prepare yourself for a whole lot of dried fruit craziness coming your way. Remember the box of goodies my mom sent me before my birthday? Well, she apparently decided that wasn't enough, and she shipped an even BIGGER box of treats last week. I guess the first box was my "pre-birthday gift," and the second one was the "belated birthday gift." Either way, THANK YOU, MOM!!!

The second box contains oodles of awesome stuff, from papaya to crystallized ginger. I can't tell you how excited I am to use them all in oatmeal!

For my first recipe, I was feeling a little uncreative, so no papaya spears made it into the saucepan. I did, however, use the maple-almond granola my mom sent as a topping! Granola makes a wonderful topping; I also used it on the Loaded PB&J Oatmeal! Some days, you just can't decide between cold granola and hot porridge, so you have both! :)

Apricot Granola Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 4-6 dried apricots
• 1 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/2 cup regular rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• pinch of salt
• granola for topping

Instructions

1. Dice the apricots into small cubes.
2. Bring liquid (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you'd like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
3. Add diced apricots immediately.
4. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, cinnamon, maple syrup, and salt. Stir.
5. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice, granola, and any other additional toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, etc. I used sliced almonds).

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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!