Welcome Back to Breakfast, "Cheezy" Oatmeal with Greens. Out with the Sweet! It's Time for Sophisticated & Savory for 2013!

 

I'm Bringing Back My "Cheezy" Steel-Cut Oats with Greens in 2013

 

"I adore savory breakfasts.

In the old days I loved bacon and eggs sometimes even with potatoes.

But the arteries and the waistline just won't take it anymore.

I loved the breakfasts I had in Japan and cannot recommend miso soup too highly. The first time I tasted it I had to have two refills. Yum! 
 

Loved Scandinavian breakfasts as well, but can't have the meat and cheese anymore.

Same with Turkish breakfasts, but they always have lettuce tomato and cucumber the above. Very nice.
 

Here is my current favorite breakfast. Absolutely delicious and good for the arteries.  Great science based health blog too, I might add: Happy Healthy Long Life" 

-Posted on Mark Bittman's column, "Savory Breakfast Department,"  by Elephant Lover, New Mexico, February 9, 2011-

 

 

I admit it.

For most of 2012 I neglected this crazy delicious savory nutrient-powerhouse of a breakfast.  

You know me by now.  

I'm always trying something new--and I just got totally hooked on my chocolate oatmeal with raw buckwheat groats & berries for breakfast.  It was like eating a dessert.  I couldn't give it up.  Just never tired of it--and completely ignored my old breakfast friend, "Cheezy Oats with Greens".

That is, until yesterday.  My birthday, and the second day of the New Year--2013.

Wow, is all I can say!  I'm bringing it back for 2013.  Big time.

I highly recommend you give it a try, too.  Almost everyone I know who has tried it has loved its hearty sophisticated taste.  Except kids, of course.

Who says breakfast oatmeal ought to be sweet?  Savory really does kick it up a notch & it's the perfect foil for morning greens.

 

Here's what I posted on Facebook yesterday:

 

Oh, baby! I started the New Year & my birthday off right with the BREAKFAST of CHAMPIONS! "Not Your Mother's Oatmeal! A Mega-Nitric Oxide Antioxidant Boosting Breakfast for Champions: The Healthy Librarian's Savory "Cheezy" Oatmeal with Shiitake Mushrooms, Sundried Tomatoes & Kale.

This is beyond belief delicious--like an amazing spicy risotto. Usually, I make this with spinach--but, today it was kale. I also used vegetable broth instead of the water & sun dried cherry tomatoes from our garden. 

 

 

 

The Healthy Librarian's Savory "Cheezy" Breakfast Oatmeal with Shiitake Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Spinach

 

"Eat salad at as many meals as possible, even breakfast!"

-Ann Esselstyn, in "Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease"-

 

Anthony Yen, one of Dr. Esselstyn's original patients.  Here, at age 81, at a Whole Foods/Engine 2 event, May 2010

 

"Cheezy" oats for breakfast?  Have I really gone off the deep end?  Probably--but let me explain how I got this crazy notion.

About four weeks ago, I ran into Dr. Esselstyn at the gym.  He was headed in to go swimming--I was heading out to get to work.  We had a mile-a-minute discussion about walnuts, nitric oxide, greens, alpha-carotenes & oatmeal.   He told me how much he liked my post about that little-known antioxidant in oats--avenanthramide--and its beneficial effect on our blood vessels .

Turns out, according to Dr. Mohsen Meydani, the "oat expert" at the USDA-Agricultural Research Vascular Biology Lab at Tufts University,  oats help prevent atherosclerosis by increasing artery-saving nitric oxide production in the endothelium or lining of our arteries. That's the "magic gas" that keeps the arteries relaxed and dilated.  And it's a dose-response--the more avenanthramides you eat, the greater the nitric oxide production.  The dose-response thing--that's the part of my post that really grabbed Dr. Esselstyn's attention.  More oats=more nitric oxide!

To read the whole post about Oatmeal: The Breakfast of Champions click here. 

 

The two new take-aways I learned in our morning conversation:

• Esselstyn noticed that his own cholesterol decreased about 8-10% when he started eating oatmeal after dinner, as a kind of dessert--and he always uses oat milk with his oats.  As crazy as it sounds, oat milk is really delicious, and it's a staple in our pantry.

• Ideally, we should aim to include greens in our diet about 6 times a day--to get a regular nitric-oxide boost!  And it looks like oats are a pretty good stand for greens in the nitric oxide boosting-department. 

Here's why the Mayo Clinic says nitric oxide is important for the brain. 

Here's why it's important for the heart. 

 

I hadn't known about the 6 times a day recommendation for greens.  So let's see how it can play out:

1. Morning oatmeal--topped with oatmilk  (Here's where my new recipe comes in!)
2. Mid-morning green smoothie snack
3. Lunch time salad &/or meal that includes greens, like a sandwich stuffed with romaine or cilantro
4. Mid-afternoon green smoothie snack
5. Dinner side salad
6. Main meal that includes greens, like a casserole, soup, a side dish--or adding greens to pasta or pizza
7. **If you miss one of your six servings, there's always some after-dinner oatmeal for dessert or Mexican hot cocoa made with oat milk (click here for the cocoa recipe)
8. Note:  Esselstyn isn't a big green smoothie fan--too much fruit--and no chewing.   I'm a big fan. 

 

What Does Anthony Yen Have to Do with My "Cheezy" Oatmeal?

 

Well, Anthony always includes vegetables in his daily oatmeal breakfast!  He adds about 3 handfuls of spinach or 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables and some low-sodium tamari to his morning oats.  Don't think so?  Not for me?  That's what I thought at first, too.  I was wrong!

Anthony was one of Dr. Esselstyn's early patients.  He had a massive cardiac event on New Year's Eve 1987, followed by a quintuple bypass surgery that left him feeling immobilized, depressed, and hopeless.

 

Anthony said, "I blamed myself for what I had done to myself.  I wanted to know what caused my disease, and how do I stop it."  When Anthony told his cardiologist that he wanted to see Dr. Esselstyn, the cardiologist said,  "Esselstyn is not a cardiologist.  If you go to him, don't come back to see me."

Anthony was furious.  "I wanted to get to the cause, and the doctor was so negative.  So I fired the cardiologist, and went to Dr. Esselstyn on my own."  As Anthony's wife Joseanne explains,  "He had no hope.  He was willing to do anything."  pg. 24-25, Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease.

 

Anthony's story really came to life for me when I heard him tell it on a preview DVD of Forks Over Knives I saw last spring.  His personal experience is both compelling and convincing.   Soon after I viewed the DVD, I got to meet him when Rip Esselstyn came to town for a local roll-out of the national Whole Foods' Health Starts Here program.  Read all about Whole Foods' down-right-revolutionary approach to a healthy diet-- here.

Is this distinguished gentleman who's brimming with health & vitality really over 80 years old?  Was he really once overweight with severe heart disease?   He and his wife Joseanne have been eating no-oil &  plant-based for 24 years now, and his picture (above) says it all.  He's also fantastic in Forks Over Knives!

 

 

At the Whole Food s Healthy Start Roll-Out in May 2010.  That's me BEFORE I Cut Out Oil, Nuts, Chocolate & Avocados--and lost weight!

 

 

My "Cheezy" Savory Breakfast Oatmeal with Shiitake Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Spinach

 

 

 In the Pot, Ready to Cook - Doesn't Look a Thing Like My Fave Pumpkin Oatmeal

 

Anthony & Dr. Esselstyn were my inspiration to find an easy tasty savory breakfast oatmeal with greens.  Today, I finally tried out a recipe, and I was happily surprised at the results. Actually, I thought it was fabulous--but that's me.  Try it, and let me know what you think.

I'm also looking forward to hearing your suggestions for some other knock-your-socks-off savory seasonings.  I'm throwing out the challenge!  Greens for Breakfast!  A call for recipes.

Honestly, it's kinda of like eating a savory frittata.  Oooh--maybe some leftover potatoes, roasted red peppers, or even jalapenos for add-ins.  But it's got to be something quick. 

 

Makes 4 servings.  Cooking Time: maybe 15 minutes??  Click here for the recipe on one page

 

My recipe is a variation of "You're So Cheezy" Savoury Oats, from Oh, She Glows.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup of steel cut oats

2 cups of water  (you could substitute 1 or 2 cups of vegetable broth for the water)

1 cup of non-dairy milk.  I used Eden-brand enriched soy milk

2 TBS. nutritional yeast  (this is what gives it the "cheezy taste")  It's high in B vitamins--click here

1/4 teaspoon or more of turmeric (this gets it nice & yellow)

1 1/2 tsp. of Bone Suckin' Sauce Seasoning & Rub  (This has brown sugar, chili pepper, paprika, garlic, onion, & bell pepper)  Could sub any Cajun or Southwest Seasoning you like)

a few grinds of fresh black pepper

a pinch or two of chipotle powder (optional--I like it spicy & use 1/4 teaspoon)

1 oz. of julienned sun-dried tomatoes (I love the brand called California Sun-Dried because they're already julienned, they're nice & soft & need no soaking.)

About a handful (5) dried shiitake mushrooms, broken into pieces & rinsed.   Use any dried mushrooms you like.

2 1/2 ounces of fresh baby spinach, rinsed per serving of oatmeal!!  I make enough oatmeal for 4 servings & each serving will need to be topped with 2.5 ounces of spinach.  (You can substitute kale or any other green, too.  Kale just takes longer to soften up)

 

1.  Mix the oats,  water, milk (or veggie broth), seasonings, tomatoes, & mushrooms into a pot.

2.  Heat to boiling.  Watch carefully, and turn it down to a simmer once it starts to boil.  Stir occasionally, and check back in about 10 minutes.  You'll want the water absorbed, and the oats nice & creamy.

3.  When the oats are done, microwave one serving of spinach briefly, until it's soft, but not mushy.  Depending upon your microwave this could take anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. 

4.  Top one serving of oatmeal with the softened spinach & mix.  Enjoy!

5.  Store the rest of the oatmeal (3 servings) in the fridge, and in the morning heat up 1 serving topped with the spinach in the microwave.

Check out this powerhouse of a breakfast!   A double dose of nitric oxide boosting power from oats & spinach!  Crazy how much nutrition is one breakfast bowl!

 

 

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's Savory "Cheezy" Oats with Greens
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	245
Total Fat	3.5g
Saturated Fat	0.6g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	194mg
Carbohydrate	50.9g
Dietary Fiber	18.1g
Sugars	6.6g
Protein	12.8g
Vitamin A 141% Vitamin C 53% Calcium    17% Iron 62%

 

 

 

Comments

[Susan]

I have a breakfast recipe with greens. I love Heidi Swanson's curried tofu scramble with spinach from her cookbook Super Natural Cooking. It's easy and delicious. I'm not seeing this recipe on her blog-- but I see it's posted on another blog http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2011/01/101-cookbooks-lessons-from-super-natural-cooking-5-ingredients-10-minutes/#

[Susan]

Also, happy belated birthday!

[Marilou Garon]

My thoughts exactly regarding the tofu scramble with spinach! Wrapped inside a tortilla, it's a superb breakfast burrito. Like you write in your post, miso soup for breakfast - with added spinach and baby bok choy - is another comforting option though I admit that for me, it requires a greater "psychological" effort than a tofu scramble! It's crazy how our habits are ingrained, no? Soup for breakfast is still a hard one... Heidi Swanson has a delicious spinach "quiche" recipe on her website that is excellent eaten cold, for breakfast. It can also be made simply without the crust for no-oil:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000148.html

I'll try the oatmeal on myself AND on my five-year old and report back! So many thanks for your superb blog and for all the time you put in it. All the best to you and your family in 2013.

[Eselpee]

I am sure THL's recipe is better than mine, but for those of you who want the quickie, single serving version:

[Amounts are guestimated; I don't actually measure]
The night before toss in a microwave-safe breakfast bowl:
1. about 10 grinds of pepper
2. 1 tsp or so of chili powder
3. 10 or so drops of hot pepper sauce of choice
4. A small handful of organic dried tomatoes (tomatoes are on dirty dozen list)
5. A handful of dried mushrooms crumbled (I get them from the Chinese market. A 3 oz bag is $5.00 and mushrooms are on the "clean 15" list
6. 1/2 cup steal cut oats
7. 1 cup water
8. cover with a sandwich plate and zap for 3 minutes, brush your teeth, and hit the sack leaving cereal in microwave

Next morning add to bowl:
1. 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice
2. zap for 3 minutes
3. add a tablespoon or so of chia seeds and 1 tablespoon or so of nutritional yeast
4. stir in organic greens of choice (baby arugula or kale are good choices to rotate with spinach and all are on dirty dozen list)
5. Bon [z]apatite!

[Eselpee]

PS: I stir in fresh greens, not cooked...

[Maryjo]

I just made this (or a variation, with what I had on hand) -- and added some dried raisins/cranberries with the oats at the end, and topped the whole thing with plain yogurt -- SO delicious! thanks so much for the recipe and the whole post!

[ella]

Thank you for this recipe. I made it this morning- used soy milk, fresh mushrooms and grape tomatoes since didn't have dried, and tofu instead of nutritional yeast, will try it with yeast next time. I also added a chopped clove of garlic during the simmering stage, then added kale, mustard greens and water cress at the end, and sprinkled on some of Emeril's "Bayou Blast" seasoning mix as I'm not a chipotle fan. Definitely a keeper!

That overnight single serving recipe looks handy too.

[Veronica]

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday! This is very similar to what I eat for breakfast, which is a slightly-altered version of Spinach Kitcheri, made with overcooked rice, spinach, onion, garlic, ginger, fennel, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala. The overcooked rice makes it easy on the stomach and the garlic, ginger, and fennel are good for digestion. I especially like to eat it if I've overindulged the day before and I want to give my system a break. I like this type of dish because you can substitute what you like or what you have on hand in the pantry.

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Susan: Thanks for the link to Heidi Swanson's Tofu Scramble--it sounds so delicious--& nice & spicy. & thanks for the B-day greeting, too!

@Marilou: Ditto re Heidi's scramble in a tortilla. Yum! That spinach quiche looks & sounds fabulous--wonder how to but together the crust w/o oil. Do you think it's possible? Thanks for passing that link on, too!

@Eselpee--your recipe sounds pretty close to mine. Love, your "overnight" cooking method---pretty cool. I'll have to try it. THanks for passing it on.

@Maryjo--so interesting that you added some raisins or cranberries to the savory spicy oatmeal--but, I do "get it". Out of the box--but, I bet it works. A taste explosion!

@Ella: See, this recipe is very versatile. Bet you'll like the nutritional yeast--I used to turn my nose up, but now I'm a fan.

@Veronica: Ooh, rice with all my favorite (really) spices & spinach is another possibility I never considered. Thanks for sharing your version of another savory breakfast possibility!

[Dawn]

Okay I know this is crazy but I was just thinking I need to come up with some more non-sweet breakfast foods that aren't a green smoothie. Hilarious! Great timing!
I will definitely try these and report.
One time in a pinch I added black beans and salsa to my oats. I thought--I eat this all the time with rice, why not with oats?
Believe it or not--it was really tasty even in the morning. The above comments have me thinking about making the oats really thick, stirring in black beans, salsa, some greens and wrapping in a tortilla for a portable breakfast.

[Deb Richter]

Made your mushroom fettuccine last night (YUM), planning to make your brownies this afternoon and everything is ready to go for your cheesy oats tomorrow a.m.!!!! Thank you, thank you!....I tried the Christmas Tree Salad from Healthy Happy Life blog on Christmas Eve subbing walnuts for pecans and using sliced starfruit for the topper. Everyone loved it and the dressing is awesome. The salad can be dressed, tossed way ahead of time so it's a great pot luck dish...Check it out!

[Amanda]

I have to say that this has become my new favorite breakfast. I will make enough on Sundays to last through the workweek. I have to admit, I was a little leery and tried it only after recommendation from my sister, but have enjoyed it after trying it.
Thanks for all of your recipes and posts. I thoroughly enjoy the material you post! I have found myself, slipping some of the info I get from you, into my patient teaching (I am a nurse practitioner). Now, I am off to make the EL burgers and cajun kale soup for the week.
Thanks!