Strawberry balsamic oats... 2 ways!

Strawberry season is in full swing and each week we've been armed with a punnet of fresh English strawberries. So following on from the success of my sugar-free strawberry cake I wanted to create something of the single-serve, breakfast and 'bressert' variety… I wanted to keep the strawberries to myself but of course you can increase the recipe quantities and share the love if you decide!

In the oven...thick, creamy and chunky!

I had a play with my basic oatmeal recipes and with a very small tweak I came up with two different variations… cook either on the stove top or in the oven- both pretty simple, both pretty delicious! The ingredients are very simple, wholesome and sugar free... a cross between a warm comforting winter breakfast and a fruity summer pudding! A contradiction indeed.

I've seen so many recipes pair strawberries with balsamic vinegar and I've always been curious but until now had not tried it myself. You can make the recipe without the vinegar, but in my opinion it really does make the flavours pop and enhances the sweetness of the fruit. Just don't add more than the recipe states as you risk tasting the vinegar which is not the aim at all!

on the stove top... smooth and creamy!

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

• ½ cups jumbo porridge oats
• 2 tbs flax
• 1 ½ cup non dairy milk (more at end if needed)
• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• extra strawberries for decoration- sliced

• For baked option:
• Add extra ¼ cup oats
• ½ tsp baking powder
• few drops stevia if desired (for dessert-like sweetness)
• Garnish (optional): coconut cream/vegan yoghurt and coconut flakes

Method:

Cook the oats with the milk on the stove top for approx 7-8 mins.

Chop the strawberries and add these along with the balsamic vinegar and flax after the oats have been cooking for a couple of minutes.

When the porridge has reached the desired consistency and the strawberries have softened. Serve with extra sliced strawberries (and cream/yoghurt) on top.

For the baked version add extra oats towards the end of the cooking time. Remove from the heat and add the baking powder and stevia before spooning into a small baking dish. Bake for approx. 15 min until the topping is golden and caramelized.

*Note: the above amount made one bowl of oatmeal and 1 small baked oatmeal portion. I have not tried a baked oatmeal from scratch i.e without the pre-stove cooking as it was a last minute idea when I saw I had left over mix. However based on my other baked oatmeal recipes, I see absolutely no reason why it would not work that way!