Citrus Carrot and Cranberry Oatmeal

What You’ll Need: 

• 3/4 cup milk of choice*
• 1 small carrot, peeled and grated (about 1/4 cup grated)
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• Juice of 1 small orange or clementine
• 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• pinch of allspice
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup or more, if desired

How to Make It: 

1. Bring liquid to a boil, add carrots, and reduce heat to a simmer. Let the carrots simmer for about 2-3 minutes to help them soften up.
2. Add oats and orange juice. Stir occasionally.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add spices and salt, and fold in cranberries.
4. If desired, add maple syrup to taste.
5. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Enjoy as is, or top with whatever: nut butter, chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, etc. (I topped with fresh cranberries for the photo but I don’t recommend that for eating!)

FYI: 

* You can make this with rolled or quick oats by increasing the liquid to 1 cup and the oats to 1/2 cup.

This winter, I subscribed to a winter CSA, which means I have enough carrots in my fridge to feed about 10,002 rabbits. I’ve made three different variations of carrot soup, and I have the leftovers in my freezer (and a handful of Insta Stories) to prove it. In other words, it makes me very happy to come up with a new recipe idea that involves carrots.

My apologies on the absence of a post last week. The truth is, I prepared this recipe, photographed it, and edited the photos earlier this month, but then I simply wasn’t able to prepare the post in time.

I spent a week in NYC for my company holiday party (and lots of karaoke with my friends), flew home to spend less than 24 hours in Denver, and then drove to my hometown for Christmas with my family. It was all much more hectic (in a good way!) than I anticipated … hence the delay.

To give this recipe a holiday spirit, I incorporated cranberries. I like using fresh cranberries more than dried because they “pop” while they cook, getting their tart juices throughout the porridge and adding great flavor. 

Adding citrus is one of my favorite tricks for sweetening oatmeal. The brightness of citrus adds great flavor that reduces the need for a bunch of added sugar. I first discovered this with my Orange Sweet Potato Oatmeal.

And if you love cranberry oatmeal, check out some of my favorites here:

• White Chocolate Cranberry Baked Oatmeal
• Cranberry Brownie Baked Oatmeal
• Thanksgiving PB&J Oatmeal