Whole Grain Cereal

Oatmeal is by far one of my favorite meals so I was so excited when I found out it was whole grains week! I decided to add some kamut that I had in my fridge to my oatmeal to give it a little more depth and an additional whole grain. As per usual when I'm making oatmeal, I don't follow a recipe and rather I use it as a blank canvas to top with seasonal flavors. This time I used squash that I had leftover from my braising recipe (I have yet to master cooking in quantities that are small enough for just me, I always cook like I'm making food for a party of eight), apples, raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds and honey.

To start, I made my oatmeal and reheated my cold kamut. When the oatmeal was almost done I added a little half and half, a small amount of butter, some gelatin (I knew the oats would stay warm and not get gummy) and the kamut.

From there I warmed up the squash and plated it on the dish that I was going to use. 

While my oats were still staying warm on the stove top, I chopped up the rest of my toppings. 

From there, I added a layer of plain yogurt in the center of my squash, making a creamy bed for the cereal to sit on. I added the hot creamy mix of kamut and oatmeal and then topped it with the rest of my toppings. 

This is a common version of oatmeal that I like to make! Sometimes I switch out the squash for sweet potatoes if I have those on hand. I don't always add the kamut, but I enjoyed it this time! Additionally, the squash seeds that I used to top the oatmeal came from the squash that I used within the recipe so they had a nice toasted taste to them! That being said, I wish I would have toasted or candied the almonds or used a different nut like walnuts or pecans. A version of this that I like to make for my family involves rolled oats, steel cut oats, wheat berries or wild rice. I got the idea for mixing all the different cereal grains after eating at Hell's Kitchen with a friend where they do something similar. The toppings of squash and apple evolved from a fall pizza that I had at a winery in my hometown. What I love about oatmeal is the versatility that it has; it can be served sweet or savory and (in my opinion) isn't confined to just breakfast! The one thing that I would have changed about this recipe however is it would have paired quite well with a nice strong cup of good quality coffee!