Salted Maple, Apple, and Pecan Oatmeal

I hope everyone had an excellent 4th of July. It's definitely not my favorite holiday, but I had a pleasant camping trip with my parents. Yes, I'm back in the Midwest for a few weeks before starting another school year in Manhattan!

I know many of my readers are from outside the U.S. (hello!), but I hope your July 4th was nice, too. ^_^ If not, I have the perfect recipe to make your week better:

Apples. Pecans. Maple syrup.

And it's SALTED!

I originally came up with the idea for salted maple and pecan oatmeal, but at the last minute I decided to include apples, and I'm glad that I did. It added an extra sweetness and boost of nutrition.

As I ate this, I realized it was the first time I used my quick-cooking steel-cut oats without a banana. The texture is amazing. I'm used to bananas creating an amazing texture, so I was stunned by the texture of this without the banana. I really cannot tell you how much I love these oats. But still, I will continue to list old-fashioned rolled oats in the recipe, just to keep things simple.

...But for real, if you want a silky, creamy, nutty, magical breakfast, use 1/4 cup of quick-cooking steel-cut oats instead. ^_^

Which do you prefer? Rolled or steel-cut?

Salted Maple, Apple, & Pecan Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

For the Oatmeal

• 1 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/2 cup regular rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1/2 an apple (or a whole one)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Topping

• handful of pecans
• maple syrup
• coarse salt (like kosher)

Instructions

1. Bring milk (I use 1/2 c almond milk and 1/2 c water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you'd like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
2. Dice apple and add to oatmeal immediately. Stir.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Stir.
4. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Top with pecans (whole, halved, or crumbled are all fine), drizzle with maple syrup, and finish with a heavy pinch (or two!) of coarse salt (the coarser, the better!). Add an extra splash of milk if your oatmeal is a little dry.

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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!