Winter Morning Oatmeal

This afternoon I went to the fridge to try to find some leftover leftovers that would be safe for me to eat.  I saw very few options as it is the end of the week.  The only thing leftover was a pot of organic tomato soup I had prepared earlier this week, but it had left me with upset stomach, abdominal pain, and heartburn and I did not feel overly excited about experiencing that again.  Keep looking....could have made a sandwich, but I wasn't really that hungry.  Oatmeal popped into my head and the thought of that sounded delicious!  Who says oatmeal is only a breakfast food!?  :)  This is one of my favorite ways to prepare oatmeal.  Still sweet without the refined sugars, dairy free, and very little wheat involved (Quaker Oats and store brand has cross contamination of wheat in it, but it is minimal.  On a side note, if you would like something completely wheat and gluten free, you can purchase Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats or Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats.)  I have some, but today I just made a quick grab for my store brand quick oats.  If you choose to use steel cut oats or anything other than quick oats, it will change your cooking time, so just make sure you read the preparation instructions on the back of the package.  All in all, this is a quick, warm, hearty, and most importantly; safe meal! 

Winter Morning Oatmeal

1 cup Silk Original Almond Milk Lite
1/2 cup quick oats
sprinkle of sea salt
tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp. raw walnuts, broken up with your fingers or chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. raw honey

In a small saucepan, over medium high heat, combine the almond milk and sea salt.  Bring the liquid to a boil.  Once boiling, add in the oatmeal.  Stir to combine, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes.  Turn off heat and cover the pot.  Let the oatmeal sit for 2-4 minutes.  Add in vanilla, 1 tbsp. walnuts, 1 tbsp. raisins, cinnamon, and honey.  Stir to combine.  Pour into a cereal bowl and garnish with remaining raisins and walnuts.  Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon over the top.  Enjoy!

Quick clarification.  I use Silk Almond Milk, but that is a personal preference.  There are definitely other brands out there.  Also, I often use raw honey in my recipes to substitute for refined sugars.  I have a wonderful source from a friend at church whose family has hives and spin their own honey.  However, if I cannot get it from them, I purchase it from a local shop in Centreville, MI called Yoder's.  They have several varieties of honey, but I always purchase the one that is specifically labeled raw.  Other great sources for local, raw honey are your local Food Markets or health food stores.  I also use vanilla ALOT in my cooking and baking.  Try to purchase as pure of vanilla as possible.  Even McComick Pure Vanilla Extract contains corn syrup, so just make sure you read your labels.  I personally am using Vanilla Rob and I purchased when we were in Mexico last year, however; once that is gone, I will be back at the store reading labels along with you.  :)
Bon Apetit!