As a child I distinctly remember that I would eat leftover dinner as breakfast. This has continued even today! And it seems the legacy is being passed to my younger daughter who is carrying forward the tradition 🙂 As you can probably tell, I love variety in my food so why should breakfast be different. It is a wonder then why it took me so long to try the savory oats which have apparently been the rage according to the blogging world for a while! I can’t believe how many varieties there are! I was particularly inspired by the recipe on  The Full helping blog. I’m kicking myself for not having tried the obvious before. I hope to come out with more iteration soon!

Oats as you know is one of the most nutritious options available for breakfast providing ample fiber to keep us full for a long time; chickpeas or any lentils which are a source of fantastic vegetarian protein and fiber to our diet; spinach or kale which provide lots of vitamin A, C and fiber, turmeric which is an excellent anti-inflammatory; avocado being a source of healthy fats and vitamin C; pumpkin seeds provide healthy fats and protein; ground flax again providing fiber and protein! How can you go wrong here 🙂

Nutritional Yeast is the one seasoning here that I have added that you might not be very familiar with. It is also referred to as “Nooch”. Before you run in the opposite direction upon reading the name Nutritional, please give it a try! I would not consider it a mandatory ingredient but well worth the addition. You can start small if you want with ½ T instead of 1 T. It has a wonderful savory cheesy Umami flavor! In lots of vegan dishes it is used as a replacement for parmesan cheese. It is a vegan source of complete protein, minerals and vitamins. It is considered a fantastic source for especially Vitamin B12! Vitamin B12 is a water soluble essential vitamin normally found in animal foods. The deficiency of Vitamin B12 can cause a variety of health issues. Just 1 to 1.5 tablespoon a day will give you the entire day’s vitamin B’s needed if you are a vegan.

The best part of this recipe is that it can be customized based on whatever ingredients you might have at home. If you don’t have fresh spinach, add kale or arugula or frozen spinach. If you don’t like chickpeas try cannellini beans or black beans. I mean there are no hard and fast rules here! On the same note you can not only have it for breakfast; but also for lunch or dinner in a pinch. Think about it, a whole dish ready in 15-20 min from start to finish, just add a side dish like sautéed asparagus or green beans and voila, you are all set for lunch or dinner! Do try it and post some feedback in the comments section below 🙂

Ingredients:

• Organic Quick Rolled Oats – ½ cup
• Ground flax seed – 1 tablespoon
• Organic unsweetened Almond milk – ½ cup
• Drained and rinsed cooked chickpeas – _1/3 cup
• Organic fresh baby spinach – 1 cup (chopped)
• Turmeric powder – ¼ t
• Salt – ½ t or according to taste
• Ground black pepper – 1/8 t or according to taste
• Red chili powder – 1/8 t or according to taste (optional)
• Nutritional Yeast flakes – 1T
• Pumpkin seeds – 1T
• Small Avocado – ½ (diced)

Directions:

• Take 1 cup of water in a pan and heat it till it boils.
• Then add the ½ cup of oatmeal and turmeric, and lower the heat to slow. Keep it partially covered so it doesn’t bubble over, cook for 2-3 minutes till its soft and mixed well.(I add the turmeric at this stage so later you won’t get the raw bitter taste)
• Stir it so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
• Then add the chopped spinach, flax, all the remaining seasonings (salt, pepper, red chili powder, nutritional yeast) and milk.
• Cook it for another 5-6 minutes.
• If it seems too thick you can add another _1/4 – _1/3 cup of water and cook for a minute so that the water doesn’t separate. I don’t like it too dried out so I don’t let the water evaporate completely.

• Then remove from the heat.

• Add the sunflower seeds and diced avocado at the very end and mix well.

• This refrigerates really well. You can use it for 5-6 days. If it seems too thick, add some water/milk and just heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds! On the same note it freezes really well also. Don’t freeze the garnishes of sunflower seeds and avocado though, add them fresh only!

• Bon appetit!

Nutritional Content:

Total Servings: 2

Serving size: 1 medium size bowl

Per Serving:  250 cal, Fat 11.8 g, Carbs 26.8 g, Fiber 9.5 g, Sugar 0.8 g, Protein 12.6 g, Vitamin A 31.5%, Vitamin C 13.2%, Calcium 5.8%, Iron 14.9.6%, Vitamin B12 87%,