In case you haven’t noticed, I’m really into persimmon lately. This hard-to-find fruit has edged its way into a few recipes lately, such as this Chai Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal and Mango Persimmon Oatmeal. In addition, I eat a massive spinach and kale salad nearly every day, and it almost always includes diced persimmon.
The other inspiration for this post was frequent commenter Christine, who requested that I need to do more “5 ingredients or less” recipes. I concur! These recipes can sometimes be limiting, but I find they make great “bases” that people can take and run with, topping with whatever they want.
Do you see now why I like it when you guys leave comments? They are precious. Precious little diamonds. 😛
One risk of “5 ingredients or less” recipes is that you might end up with a bland oatmeal. Considering persimmon has a pretty neutral flavor, this was especially crucial for me to think about. To counteract this tendency, I used pumpkin pie spice. Technically, this is a mix of spices, and if you do not own it, you can make it yourself by combining cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. But if you premix this and always have it available, or if you buy a jar of already mixed pumpkin pie spice, it counts as one super convenient ingredient.
Right? Right. It’s not cheating. It’s not cutting corners. It’s planning ahead. 🙂
To further make this recipe more unique, I used hazelnut extract instead of vanilla (but vanilla would work just fine). I topped my final product with dried cranberries and chopped walnuts; I would have used hazelnuts if I had had them in stock (which I rarely do).
And don’t forget to participate in the contest to become December’s Oatmeal Enthusiast!
All you have to do is leave comments. See details here. Contest ends this Saturday!!!
Random Recommendations:
- [tunes] This cover of Nick Jonas’s “Jealous”
- [reads] Guinness is now vegan! via One Green Planet
- [vids] Check out my girl Ashley Wagner winning the gold medal with this beautiful free skate to Moulin Rouge at Skate Canada last week.
What you'll need:
- 3/4 cup milk of choice or water
- 1/4 cup quick-cook steel cut oats
- 1-2 persimmons (I used one and a half)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp hazelnut extract (or vanilla)
- pinch of salt
How to make it:
- Bring milk (I use 1/2 c almond milk and 1/4 c water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you’d like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
- Whatever amount of persimmon you are using, grate (recommended) or finely dice half of it into the saucepan.
- With the remaining half of your persimmon(s), dice or cube and add to oatmeal. Stir occasionally while oatmeal cooks.
- Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add hazelnut extract, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Stir.
- When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Top with more diced persimmon if you wish, and another splash of milk. Other possible toppings are nuts, nut butters, berries, apple slices, raisins or other dried fruits, or coconut flakes.
Just an FYI:
Grating half of the persimmon helps with the distribution of flavor and creates a creamier final product.
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