Cran-Strawberry Oatmeal

This year, I have become increasingly interested in oatmeal with strawberries cooked in. In the past, I have always preferred using strawberries as a topping only; I loved their cool, sweet freshness. However, I may be starting to prefer them cooked in.

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup milk of choice, or water*
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• 5-10 diced and hulled strawberries, fresh recommended
• 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• maple syrup, to taste

How to make it:

1. Bring milk (I use 1/2 c almond milk and 1/4 c water) to a boil, add oats, strawberries, and cranberries, and reduce heat to medium. (If you’d like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
2. After a couple minutes, stir in your vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Stir occasionally.
3. Add maple syrup to taste, between 1-3 teaspoons.
4. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice, more fresh strawberries if desired, and any other additional toppings (nuts, coconut, dried fruit, etc.). I used Peanut Butter & Co. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl.

Just an FYI:

The cooked strawberries seemed like a good complement with cranberries, which can be tricky to incorporate into oatmeal. Cranberries are such a tart fruit, so you always have to come up with ways to temper that.

Strawberries are an interesting choice because they also have a (less intense) tartness, but are also more naturally sweet. As a result, they temper the cranberries while still celebrating their unique tart flavor.

The cinnamon also balances the tartness, adding just enough earthiness, and the maple syrup will finish the job. The amount you use really will depend on your preference for tart flavors, so if you dig that tang, go easy on the sweetener, but if you know that’s not something you’ll enjoy, douse it. 🙂 I won’t judge.