6 Ways to Make Oatmeal Taste Like Dessert
These quick, healthy breakfasts, from David Bez's new book
Breakfast Love, look and feel decadent, with sweet combinations we'd never thought of. Bonus: You don't even need to cook them!
By Lynn Andriani
The Insta-Vacation You Can Take Without Going Anywhere
Stirring a bunch of oats into a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt and letting them sit in the fridge overnight results in a custard-like dish that seems much richer than it really is. This creamy bowl includes a topping of sliced banana; pieces of coconut; crunchy, shelled hemp seeds and just a bit of chopped dark chocolate. Think tropical beach (straw hat optional).
Get the recipe: Coconut, Banana, Oats and Hemp Seeds
A Reinvention of Classic Lunch-Box Fruits
Own (like
really own) the art of the-cupboard-and-fridge-are-almost-bare eating with this simple bowl of goodness that reminds us of apple crumble. It starts with a fistful of oats you've soaked overnight in some almond milk with a smattering of cinnamon. In the morning, top it with cubed apple, some red grapes and a bunch of chopped hazelnuts for a meal that'll remind you of crisp autumn days.
Get the recipe: Grapes, Apple, Oats and Hazelnuts
A Cold-Weather Combo for When You're Feeling Indecisive
When it comes to winter fruit-families, who says you have to pick just one? In this sweet-tart bowl, Bez shows us that citrus fruits, such as grapefruits, and pome fruits, such as pears, can make a fantastic match. What ties them together may surprise you: orange juice. You soak oats in the juice overnight, then mix in chopped pear and grapefruit, plus some goji berries, black sesame seeds and honey. The mellow pear balances out the citrus beautifully.
Get the recipe: Pear, Grapefruit, Oats and Goji Berries
The Vitamin C-Packed Bonanza
Before you go to bed, pour oats and apple juice into a bowl; in the morning, the mixture will be soft and plump, and the perfect sweet base for a handful of chopped strawberries, wedges of bright green kiwi and crunchy almonds. If the dazzling red and green colors don't wake you up, then the "Wait, am I eating a bowl full of good-for-you-candy?" taste will.
Get the recipe: Kiwi, Strawberries, Oats and Almonds
A Delicious New Reason to Keep Persimmons Around
Fuyu persimmons have a honey-like, mild taste that's a bit like the taste of apricots. Let them ripen until they're just a little bit soft when you squeeze them, and they'll make for a mellow breakfast fruit that's terrific with tart raspberries. The other players in this lovely bowl: almond milk-soaked oats and pumpkin seeds. (And if you can't find persimmons, try apricots or peaches.)
Get the recipe: Persimmon, Raspberries, Oats and Pumpkin Seeds
An Unexpected Way to Eat Melon That You'll Love
We'd never tried putting galia melon (which is kind of a cross between honeydew and cantaloupe—either of which would work here) with oatmeal, but it's an interesting combo that totally works. You soak the oats first in apple juice, so they're moist and sugary; then add the chopped melon, a handful of blackberries, a smattering of chia seeds and a couple of mint leaves for a bowl that tastes bright and refreshing.
Get the recipe: Blackberries, Melon, Oats & Chia Seeds
Published 02/19/2016
