Piña Papaya Oatmeal

Are you a papaya fan? Here’s one for you. Do I even need to convince you? This oatmeal is loaded with fresh papaya chunks and paired with its tropical cousin, the beloved pineapple. What more is there to say??

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup milk (coconut suggested) of choice or water*
• 1/2 cup diced pineapple (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• 1/2 cup diced papaya (fresh recommended)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• splash of lemon juice
• pinch of salt

How to make it:

1. Bring milk (I use 1/2 c almond milk and 1/4 c water) and frozen pineapple to a low boil.
2. Add oats, and reduce heat to a simmer. (If you’d like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.) Stir occasionally.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed in the oatmeal, add most of your diced papaya (save the rest for topping), vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt. Stir.
4. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice, remaining papaya, and any other additional toppings (coconut, nuts, more fruit, etc.).

Just an FYI:

On its own, I think papaya is one of the more “blah” tropical fruits, but this recipe made me look at papaya in a new way.

Something happens when you simmer fresh papaya with a little almond milk, some magical oats, and a handful of pineapple. I don’t know if it’s the combination of ingredients, the process of cooking, or a bit of both. All I know is, when it all comes out of the saucepan, that papaya is the fruit I want it to be: tropical and juicy.