Good and Cheap - Oatmeal

This basic recipe can be dressed up in so many ways, you'll never get bored. Oatmeal makes a hot and comforting breakfast; it’ll give you  energy for a great morning. It's also extremely inexpensive, so you  can spend a bit more on lunch and dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 cups water
• ¼ tsp salt

Recipe

1. In a small  pot, add the oats, water and salt. 
2. Place it on medium-high heat, just until the water comes to a boil. 
3. Immediately turn the heat to low and place a lid on the pot. 
4. Cook for 5 minutes, until the oats are soft and tender and most of the water has cooked off. 
5. You can add more water if you  like your oatmeal smooth and thin, or use slightly less if you  want a thick oatmeal.

This is just the basic recipe; several ideas for how  to make it your own  follow  on the next pages.  Whether it's milky and sweet or savory and salty, I'm sure you  can find a favorite way to enjoy  a hot bowl  of oats in the morning!

Coconut And Lime Oatmeal 

Recipe

Add the coconut and sugar to the oatmeal, water, and salt. Cook as normal. Turn off the heat and squeeze  the juice of half a lime over the top.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup coconut,  shredded
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ lime, juiced

Berry Oatmeal

Recipe

Cook the oatmeal as usual, but 2 minutes before it’s ready, add some fresh or frozen berries and the sugar, then stir to combine. There’s nothing more to the recipe than that, but it’s surprising how many variations you  can come up with just by trying a new type of berry or combining several varieties.

Ingredients

• ½ cup berries,  fresh or frozen
• 1 tbsp sugar

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Recipe

1. Whisk  the pumpkin, milk,  and water in a pot. 
2. Add the oats, salt, sugar, and spices, but use just 1¼  cups water.
3. Cook on medium-low until it bubbles.  
4. Turn to low for 5 more minutes. 
5. Add syrup or more sugar to taste.

Ingredients

• ½ cup canned pumpkin
• ¾ cup milk (or almond / soy milk)
• 1¼  cups water
• 2 tbsp brown  sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

o p t i o n a l

• ¼ tsp ginger  powder
• ¼ tsp clove powder maple syrup

Baklava Oatmeal

Recipe

Before cooking the oatmeal as normal, add the cinnamon, orange zest and 2 tablespoons of honey. Once it's cooked, top each bowl  with another tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of nuts.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp orange zest, finely grated
• 4 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp almonds or pistachios, chopped

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Recipe

Cook the oats in juice and cinnamon instead of water. Top with the apple. If you  want the apple to be soft and warm, cook it along with the oats.

Ingredients

• 2 cups apple juice or cider
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 apple, cored  and chopped

Savory Oatmeal

Recipe

1. Cook the oatmeal with scallions. Just before it's done, add cheese. 
2. Melt the butter in a pan  on medium heat. 
3. Crack in the eggs, then cover. 
4. Fry until the yolks  are runny but the whites are cooked, then top each bowl  of oats with one fried egg!

Ingredients

• 2-3 scallions, finely chopped
• ¼ cup sharp cheddar, grated
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 eggs