Stewed Fig and Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Happy Tuesday! Happy last week of school for me! Happy birthday to my older brother, Christopher!

There are so many reasons to be happy this week. One of the reasons includes starting every morning with this oatmeal. The inspiration actually came from my dislike of the appearance of fresh figs. Why are they so unattractive? Thus, I thought to myself: maybe if I stew them or make a compote, I can enjoy the flavor of figs without the ugly appearance.

Well, it turns out that stewed figs are, in fact, uglier than a regular ol' fresh fig. Bummer.

On the plus side, stewing them did make them easier to eat. Regular figs are kind of awkward to eat (or maybe I just never cut them small enough). Either way, I love this combo. I didn't need to add a sweetener, but you might!

Psst...notice that this is a "big batch." Technically, it should be four servings, but I thought it was closer to 4 and a half or 5.

Stewed Fig & Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 30 min

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Ingredients (serves 4-5)

For the Stewed Figs

• 8-10 fresh black figs
• 1/4 cup water
• splash of orange or lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• maple syrup (optional, I omitted)

For the Oatmeal

• 2 cups milk of choice
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium apple (I used Fuji)
• 1 cup steel-cut oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Slice figs into quarters or smaller. Add to a small saucepan with the other ingredients. Set over medium low heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it dries up too much (it shouldn't), add a bit of water at a time.
2. Meanwhile, add milk and water to a larger saucepan and set over medium heat.
3. You have three options: dice your apple, grate it, or a combination of the two (which is what I did). To do a combination, cut the apple in half. Dice one half and grate the other--perfection!
4. Add the apples to the saucepan. Once the liquid comes to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to a simmer. (If you'd like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
5. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (and checking on your figs, if you're doing them at the same time). Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Stir.
6. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal (it will take approximately 20-30 minutes), transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice, top with stewed figs, and throw on any other additional toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, etc.). I thought it went well with honey and walnuts.

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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!