I know it’s summer and all, but lately I’ve been on an oatmeal kick.  My days have been jam-packed with appointments and projects, so a filling breakfast has been key. On busy days, having a go-to instead of trialing a new recipe helps calm the crazy. Worrying about losing steam mid-morning is the last thing you need on a busy morning. I’ve played around with a savory, taco-inspired twist on oatmeal before, but it was high time I posted a proper recipe for it. I’ve been avoiding posting oatmeal-related things recently after my own mother (bless her) told me how boring I was getting, but I had to make an exception for this.

Tacos are a food that combine lots of flavors and things I love, but they’re not something to eat in my day-to-day life. Some of my worst dating memories somehow involve tacos (maybe this is because tacos can seem like a stereotypical dude food?), so maybe that has something to do with it, but no reason I should miss out. Deconstructed taco salads and cauliflower rice burrito bowls are a few ways I get my fix, so why not oatmeal?

Side note: A guy I went out with a bit earlier this year told me that some survey of online dating app users showed that girls who ate oatmeal for breakfast were more likely to put out or something. “Put out”—who even says that anymore? If said to me in an appropriate context, it might have been a funny morning-after anecdote that would never have seen the light of internet-day, but it was more, like, “Oh, you like oatmeal? Well, I heard…”

Ugh. New York. It’s the Wild West of dating. Whatever happened to “the safe cup of coffee?”

I’ll admit, I went looking for an article mentioning this statistic, but alas, nothing. However, I did find lots of articles suggesting that men should eat oatmeal on the regular in order to enhance their performance in the event their date decides to put out. B-vitamins for energy, amino acid arginine to keep things looking up—that sort of thing.

But right, the recipe. I’m trying to come up with a way to convey just how quick and easy this is (see above) without erupting into a super-mature giggle fit, so I’m just going to give up and simply tell you what to do.

At least breakfast is one thing that can remain uncomplicated in this world. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Ingredients:

For the Oats:

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon ground flax
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup egg whites (optional)
• dash of sea salt
• 1 cup grated zucchini (optional)

Toppings:

• 1/4-1/2 avocado, sliced
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium salsa
• 1 tablespoon low-fat plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. On stovetop, bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Lower heat and add oats, flax, zucchini, and spices. Cook until almost all liquid is absorbed.
2. Whisk in egg whites about 1 minute. Turn off heat, cover pot, and allow to sit 5 minutes.
3. Pour oats in a bowl and top with avocado, salsa, and yogurt.

Variations: You can make the oats in the microwave by combining all ingredients (even egg whites), stirring well, and cooking on HIGH in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until oats are cooked through and fluffy.

Nutrition Stats (for 1 bowl of oats topped with 1/2 a haas avocado, 1 tabelspoon plain Greek yogurt, and 2 tablespoons low-sodium salsa): 321 calories, 16 grams fat (unsaturated), 14 grams total carbohydrate, 11 grams fiber, 19 grams protein, and 164 milligrams sodium. 

What’s your favorite breakfast? What’s the worst thing a date has ever said to you?