For as long as I can remember, oatmeal has been part of my breakfast rotation. The weekday oatmeal is generally topped with hastily chopped bananas, a handful of raw nuts, dried fruit and maybe a spoonful of peanut butter. It certainly serves its purpose, but weekend oatmeal is a little more luxurious, with adequate time to saute fresh fruit and nuts in cinnamon and maple syrup. My mornings come before the sun rises, and the early hours of weekend are particularly serene – leaf blowers not yet roaring to life, children still snuggled in layers of blankets and perhaps one of the few opportunities to take time for myself throughout the week. A version of this recipe was first published in the fall 2014 issue of Chickpea Magazine, and I paired it with an essay titled, a morning date with  you. One of my favorite excerpts: “Self-care is intentionally putting yourself first. Far from being selfish, it encourages you to carve out time to care of your health.” A year later, the sentiment still rings true. Perhaps during the next few weeks you can find a day to make this for yourself before dawn, before anyone or anything needs you, and just be.

While I consider this a stepped-up take on oatmeal, it’s certainly qualifies as simple. The ingredients are ones you likely already have on hand, and you can saute the apples and pecans while the oatmeal cooks.

Apple Cinnamon Pecan Oatmeal for One

The Oatmeal:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch of sea salt

The Topping:
half a granny smith or honey crisp apple, diced
1 tsp butter (use coconut oil to make it vegan)
2 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch of sea salt
handful of pecans, chopped
splash of almond milk

Bring oatmeal ingredients to a gentle boil in a sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 – 5 minutes, until desired thickness is reached.

Heat butter (or coconut oil) over medium heat in a saute pan until melted. Add diced apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and maple syrup. Mix together and saute for two minutes, allowing the mixture to caramelize. Add chopped pecans and cook for an additional 1 – 2 minutes. Apples should be softened, but not mushy.

Serve apple-pecan mixture over oatmeal and top with a generous splash of almond milk. Feel free to drizzle a little more maple syrup on top if you like your breakfast on the sweeter side.

This is a hearty serving for one, but you could multiply the batch to serve more people. I’ve also made this recipe successfully with frozen peaches, which is delicious. You may need a minute or two more on the cooking time to heat the peaches all the way through if you try that variation.