Southern Fried Oatmeal

It’s kind of a joke around here about what to eat for breakfast in the morning.

Husband: “What are you making me for breakfast?”

Me: “Umm, nothing? It’s not the 1940s.”

Husband: “Well what are you making for yourself”

Both: “Duh, oatmeal.”

{Unless of course I got bored the night before and spontaneously whipped up a batch of vegan sticky buns. Or cinnamon rolls. Or scones… It’s been known to happen.}

I know. It’s boring. And horribly overplayed. Nobody, I mean nobody, wants to hear about my 1,394^th bowl of oatmeal. {Yeah, I counted….ok I might be lying.}

But I promise you want to hear about this one. I’ll go eat a tomato if you don’t like it. {I might be lying again…but maybe.} I hate tomatoes.

Last month I had meeting at restaurant that only serves brunch on the weekends. Everybody ordered fancy things like quinoa salmon salad and duck a la something, but me? I ordered the one thing that literally spoke to me. It called me name off the menu; said I had to order it or else. Seriously. People at the table heard it.

So I did. I ordered it: fried oatmeal.

See, the ‘fried’ cancels out the ‘oatmeal’, so it didn’t count as healthy…or boring. But it was fabulously delicious. Those that mocked me for ordering something so silly were putting feet in their mouths all around. They pleaded and hoped that I’d offer them a bite. But there was no sharing. You mock = I get selfish: every bite is mine.

Now, a month later, I woke up craving fried oatmeal. And by craving I mean have-to-have-it-or-someone-gets-hurt. But there’s no brunch served until Saturday. Fortunately I know a thing or two about oatmeal.

Pan-fried Oatmeal

Don’t let the word fried scare you. Keep reading.

This works best with leftover steel cut oats, but if you have time, feel free to whip up a batch and toss them in the fridge to chill.

To prepare steel cut oats:

Use 1 part oats to 4 parts liquid. Even if you normally make oatmeal with water, I highly suggest using 1/4 to 1/2 parts milk {I use almond milk} for steel cut oats. {Example: 1 cup oats, 1 cup almond milk, 3 cups water.} The difference in creaminess is life-changing. What? I never exaggerate.

You can make the oats on the stove by boiling the water then adding the oats, simmering for 30-40 minutes until the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, or you can cheat and use my sneaky-super-speedy overnight steel cut oats method. Your choice.

Add vanilla & cinnamon.

For fried oatmeal:

Spread leftover steel cut oatmeal in a 1 to 1 1/2 inch layer in a pan or baking dish. Refrigerate overnight {or chill until firm}.

Once chilled, empty pan on cutting board. Slice oatmeal into triangles.

Heat a small amount of butter/oil in a shallow frying pan. I used 1 T Earth Balance & 1 T coconut oil.

Place oatmeal wedges in hot pan. Cook each side until browned and crispy.

Optional: coat wedges with coconut before cooking.

Serve with honey, toasted pecans, and Greek yogurt. My Greek yogurt is invisible. Toasted pecans is key.

I think I’m going to start having breakfast 3 times a day….