Savory Steel Cut Oats With Shitake, Kale & Walnuts

Bored with the usual bowl of oatmeal for breakfast? The Chalkboard is mixing things up a little with a savory version of the old breakfast staple and we love it! 

Comforting, high in fiber and filling, it’s the perfect way to start the day. Oats are a blank canvas for countless toppings, which almost always seem to stray to the sweet side.

But why not go savory for a totally different, but equally delicious, take on oats and get an extra serving of veggies to boot? My favorite combo is kale, shiitakes, walnuts and gomasio, a macrobiotic condiment with sesame seeds and sea salt.

The options are limitless. Most anything you would add to polenta, toast or pasta would be fair game on a simple bowl of oats, too (or should I say, game-changing?).

Here are some other options I love: sauteed cabbage and scallions, sesame oil, shoyu, gomasio or sesame seeds and a poached egg; shredded zucchini or sautéed asparagus, goat cheese and toasted, salted pistachios; burst cherry tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper, basil and grated Pecorino or Parmesan; or dried chilies, coconut milk, dried unsweetened coconut, toasted cashews, scallions and shoyu.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 4 cups water (use 3 ¾ cups if oats were soaked overnight and drained)
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 Tbsp unrefined, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 big bunch kale, stripped and chopped coarsely
• ½ pound shiitake mushrooms
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (or another nut or seed, toasted or raw)
• Gomasio for sprinkling on top

METHOD

1. Place the oats, water and sea salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Lower heat and simmer oats uncovered until oats are tender, about 40 minutes. (Soaked oats only take 30 minutes.)
3. In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add vegetables, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, and sauté until tender, about 6-8 minutes.
5. Portion the oats into 4 bowls and top with the vegetable mixture. Add an extra drizzle of olive oil or a different oil like flax, hemp or avocado. Top with walnuts and sprinkle with gomasio.

How Do You Like Your Oatmeal, Sweet Or Savory?