Apple Beet Oatmeal

One of my favorite parts of meeting new people is how they influence my food preferences. Before I met my former roommate Christin, I never sauteed my vegetables (I always steamed or roasted). Before my current roommate Chilee, I avoided mushrooms at all costs. And of course, there was my former boyfriend from my junior year of college, who inadvertently converted me to a vegetarian (and eventually fully herbie).

Then, there's Allison. She's taught me you can never use enough cinnamon. She showed me (before going vegan) that "runny eggs" are nothing to be feared. She introduced me to dozens of foods I had ever tried before, like goat cheese and Indian food and RAMEN (the real stuff). Last but not least, with months of effort, she trained me to appreciate her favorite vegetable: beets.

I tried them once. I tried them twice. I tried them several times. Each time, I found them tolerable at best, but why did they taste like dirt? Why were they always cold and gelatinous?

But then this recipe happened. I had thought of the concept ages ago, but making it would force me to confront my wariness of beets. I'm pleased to report that I'm so glad I finally did it!

It would probably work best to grate (or purée) the beets, but I was really digging my knife skills this day and joyfully minced them up.

Please note that the following recipe makes TWO servings. (If your apple and beets are big enough, it might even make three!)

Apple Beet Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 5 min

6062009

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 apple (I used Granny Smith)
• 2 small roasted beets (I used Trader Joe's - they're already roasted and peeled)
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1/2 cup water (or more milk)
• 1/2 cup quick cook steel-cut oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Dice or grate apple. Add to saucepan with milk and water and set on medium (or medium high).
2. While you're waiting for the liquid to come to a boil, grate or mince the beets.
3. Let the diced apple boil for a minute or two. Then, add oats, and reduce heat to medium or medium low. (If you'd like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
4. Add minced/grated beets and stir.
5. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add ginger, lemon juice, and salt. Stir.
6. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice and any other additional toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, etc.).

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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!