Fudgy Balsamic Oatmeal with Strawberry-Basil Relish

Today, I’m mixing up some of my favorite things: chocolate, balsamic vinegar (the good stuff), berries, and basil. And oatmeal, but that was implied, right?

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup milk of choice, or water*
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar**
• pinch of salt
• optional sweetener, such as maple syrup, to taste (start with 1/2 tsp)

• 2-3 fresh strawberries
• 1-2 fresh basil leaves

How to make it:

1. Bring milk (I used unsweetened almond milk) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to simmer. (If you’d like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
2. Add strawberries, cocoa powder, balsamic, and salt, and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Prepare the Strawberry-Basil Relish: while oatmeal is simmering, dice strawberries into small pieces, like the size of a typical pickle relish. Mince the fresh basil. Toss together and set aside.
4. Back to the oatmeal: once more of the liquid has absorbed, taste, and add optional sweetener if desired.
5. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice and top with Strawberry-Basil Relish.

Just an FYI:

Friends! Your support last week was stunning. I half-expected to hear crickets when the post went live, assuming all of you had given up on me and moved on.

Last week’s Blueberry Lavender Oatmeal is something I am proud of, which is something I couldn’t say about previous posts leading up to my, um, “extended break.” I see the imperfections in the photo, but they don’t taunt me. I look at it and think, “You did that. You’re not a skilled photographer, but you did that.”

As always, I will continue to play with both stupidly simple recipes, and fun-yet-kind-of-out-there recipes. This recipe falls in the latter category.

I used to be vinegar-averse, and I despised any product that included vinegar: salad dressing, salt and vinegar chips, pickles, coleslaw, and literally every condiment. My position on vinegar, and all of the aforementioned foods, have softened a bit (except for salt and vinegar chips, which are still an abomination). It probably has something to do with the fact that I went through a phase of taking apple cider vinegar shots in a desperate attempt to soothe my IBS pain. (It kind of worked, but I don’t recommend it.)

Another key player in my growing warmth toward vinegar is discovering that vinegar quality, like most foods, exists on a spectrum from “horrible trash” to “can drink it straight.” Balsamic vinegar, in particular, has wowed and wooed me.

I love a good oatmeal relish. The bright burst of fresh, cool strawberry in each bite is such a striking contrast to the warm oats. And since you don’t cook it, it really does pack a lot of flavor, especially when combined with the basil.

And FYI, this is delicious with a chocolate nut butter.

Serious question: is anything better than fresh basil? Cats, yes, of course, but besides that? No. The best things in life are definitely 1) cats, 2) fresh basil, 3) Hasan Minhaj’s haircut. (How is he so beautiful?)

Oh, and the strawberry-basil relish also makes a fun dip for pita chips, like a dessert version of chips and salsa.

Random Recommendations:

• [eats] this ginger miso stir fry from the Lunch Box Bunch
• [things] the Spiralizer has improved my quality of life