This post is brought to you by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America, promoting Nature’s antioxidant superfruit. (Thank God it’s not raisins.)
Yes, I’m now the friend who disappears for a while and then shows up out of nowhere, like nothing ever happened. At least I bring breakfast with me.
I know you know how to make oatmeal, but if you’re anything like me, you probably wind up putting the same things in it over and over again. Like butter and brown sugar or chopped apples and pecans. Here’s one more combination for you: Wild Blueberries, slivered almonds and dried cranberries.
I KNOW! It’s amazing the things you find when you’re cleaning out the freezer and pantry.
Why Wild Blueberries? I really didn’t get the difference between wild and cultivated until I started working with the Wild Blueberry Association of North America, which is aiming to get the word out that wild berries have twice the antioxidant power of their cultivated brethren. (The antioxidants are in the skin, and Wild Blueberries have a higher skin-to-pulp ratio.) That “daily dose of blue” can potentially provide health benefits, like helping to prevent cancer and diabetes, keeping your heart and brain healthy and slowing the effects of aging.
I’ll take ’em.
Besides, there’s nothing like waking up to a warm bowl of oatmeal topped with fruit and nuts and a cup of coffee the size of your head. Drizzle the oatmeal with a little maple syrup or agave nectar, and you’ve really got something.
P.S. Since Wild Blueberries only grow naturally in Maine and eastern Canada, the best place to find them is in your grocer’s frozen fruit section. I’ve found them at Trader Joe’s, but they’re also available at Whole Foods, Walmart and Costco.
Wild Blueberry, Cranberry and Almond Oatmeal
From Rebecca Crump (Ezra Pound Cake)
Serves 4
- 2 cups Wild Blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 cup vanilla-flavored almond milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup quick-cooking steel-cut oats (like McCann’s)
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- Maple syrup or agave nectar, for serving (optional)
- Bring the almond milk and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the oatmeal. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.
- Slide the pan off the heat, and let it set, still covered, for about 5 minutes. (If your oatmeal seems dry or too thick after it has rested, stir in more almond milk until you get the desired consistency.)
- Gently stir in the blueberries. (Or, serve yourself a bowl of oatmeal, and spoon the berries on top to keep your cereal from turning purple.)
- Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon almonds, 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, and a drizzle of maple syrup (if using).
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