This was one experiment gone right. I’ve been curious to see how carrots would taste in oatmeal, and after trying this, I can definitely say I’m a fan—their natural sweetness is a no-brainer in this context. It’s also a convenient way to work a little extra veggies into the day.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c steel-cut oats or 1/3 c rolled oats
• 1/5 c water
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 a banana, sliced
• 1 carrot, washed and grated or processed in food processor
• cinnamon
• ground ginger
• ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp coconut oil or 1 tbsp coconut milk (optional but delicious)
• 1/4 c cottage cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil. Add oats and chia seeds and stir well. Lower heat.
2. Add banana and carrot. As oats cook, continuously break up banana pieces and stir well.
3. Add spices and mix well.
4. Add vanilla about 2 minutes before oats are done (for me, this was around 10 minutes).
5. When liquid has been absorbed, add cottage cheese, if using, and stir into oats for another minute.
6. Serve with a garnish of shredded coconut, granola, walnuts, or anything else you feel like.

Variations: You can use rolled oats instead of steel-cut as well, but the cooking time may be shorter. Using almond milk in place of water or using half-milk and half-water will give you a creamier bowl without the cottage cheese. Adding raisins during cooking would also be great. I found this bowl sweet enough, but a little maple syrup would add a nice flavor as well.