There is a particular kind of morning where nothing has gone wrong yet, but nothing has gone right either, and what is needed is something warm rather than something clever. This is the breakfast for that morning.
It is oats, an apple and cinnamon. Nothing else is required, and everything in it is probably in your kitchen right now. It takes about ten minutes on the stove, most of which is standing there stirring occasionally, which is not a bad way to start a day.
The apple is the part worth knowing about. Grated rather than chopped, it disappears into the oats as they cook and makes the whole thing sweeter and softer without any sugar. You do not taste apple pieces. You taste a bowl of oats that is somehow better than usual.
What you need
Serves two, or one very hungry person with leftovers.
- 1 cup rolled oats, not instant
- 1 apple, grated with the skin on
- 1½ cups plant milk, whichever you use
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup, only if you want it
To finish, if you like
- A spoonful of peanut or almond butter
- A few chopped walnuts
- A little extra grated apple
How to make it
1. Grate the apple. Skin on, straight into the pan. Use the coarse side of the grater. Stop when you reach the core.
2. Add everything else. Oats, milk, water, cinnamon and the pinch of salt. Give it a stir.
3. Cook it gently. Medium heat, stirring now and then, for eight to ten minutes. It will look far too wet for the first few minutes and then thicken quite suddenly, so stay nearby towards the end.
4. Taste before you sweeten. Between the apple and the cinnamon, it is often sweet enough on its own. If it is not, stir in the maple syrup now rather than adding it at the start.
5. Serve it warm, with a spoonful of nut butter melting into the top and a few walnuts if you have them.
Notes and swaps
No apple. A grated pear works just as well and is slightly sweeter. A ripe mashed banana stirred in at the end will also do it, though the result is softer.
No plant milk. All water is fine. The oats will be less creamy but perfectly good, and a spoonful of nut butter at the end brings back most of the richness.
Steel cut oats. Use the same amounts but expect twenty five to thirty minutes and a little more liquid. Worth it on a slow morning, not on a Tuesday.
More filling. A tablespoon of ground linseed or chia stirred in with the oats will hold you longer. So will the nut butter, which is the easiest option.
Cooking for one. Halve everything. It is not a recipe that minds being halved.
Make it the night before
If your mornings do not allow for ten minutes at the stove, this works cold and made ahead.
Put 1 cup of oats, 1 cup of plant milk, one grated apple, the cinnamon and the pinch of salt into a jar. Stir, put the lid on, and leave it in the fridge overnight. In the morning it will be thick and ready. Eat it cold, or warm it in a pan or the microwave for a couple of minutes.
Made in two jars on a Sunday evening, that covers Monday and Tuesday without any thought at all. This is the same idea as cooking a little extra at dinner and having lunch already made, which is one of the ideas behind Simple WFPB Bowls for Busy Days.
What to keep in the cupboard
This recipe exists because of four things that live in the cupboard permanently. Rolled oats, cinnamon, a plant milk and something nutty. Once those are in the house, a warm breakfast is never more than ten minutes away, on any morning, without a shop.
That is the whole argument for a small, well chosen pantry, and it is set out properly in 10 Plant-Based Pantry Staples That Make Everyday Meals Easier.
A warm breakfast is also one of the simplest ways to start a day with a little more room in it, which is the idea behind A Gentle Morning Rhythm.