Friday, November 6, 2009

Vanilla Spiced Pears with Oats

I love oats. My middle name could very easily be Oatmeal. Though I don't think my parents would have been wild enough call me Oatmeal. Or Ishmeal. I'm high maintainance on oatmeal though. Very picky about how it is cooked. Case in point: Good Old Fashioned Oatmeal, it has long been a staple around here. It's not only spectacular for it's convenience, but also for its many health benefits. Just recently we made an epic discovery. Well, in our world anyway. It helps keep the blood sugar levels fairly even with Cussing Granny and Mr. Putt Putt. Though this may not be one of the most epic and ground breaking posts, it is one of the basics. Keeping in mind that I have readers from all different experience levels. The gourmet followers can still appreciate this one. It's a gorgeous combination of the nutty earthy mild flavors of the oats as well as the sophisticated twist of adding Spiced Pears and walnuts. The resulting flavor was a combination of comfort food meets 5th Avenue. Ironic.5th Avenue in our town, is in the ghetto. Here's my final word on the matter, you don't have to be wealthy to eat healthy. Ever. You just need to learn a few skills.
The first step is to make the Good Old Fashioned Oatmeal. Directions are vital, so please read it through if you've never made oatmeal before. To it I added 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground ginger. I didn't add sugar or honey this time, just a little Spenda for Granny but honestly the fruit was sweet enough for me.
For the pears:
2 red or green pears, peeled, cored and cut in slices ( Use an apple corer/wedge) OR
1 can (15 oz)drained sugar free pear slices
2 T sugar free maple syrup (or real maple syrup if you aren't concerned about sugar)
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp rum extract
In a medium non-stick saute pan, combine the pears, syrup, zest and extracts. Cook about 4 minutes until just tender and gorgeous.
By the way... for the Good Old Fashioned Oatmeal I've found this brand I really adore! Silver Palate. Oh I love it! Two dollars a box. Yes!
When the oats are cooked, spoon into a bowl. 1 cup cooked oats.
Top with those pears. Sprinkle each bowl with 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts.
Healthy, wealthy or not. How wise.
6 1 cup serving with 3 slices of pear each
Calories: 224
Fat: 11 grams
Cholesterol: 0
Protein: 6 gr
Carbohydrates: 29
Hunger satisfaction...4 hours and counting....
There you go.

3 comments:

A said...

I can't imagine going to that much effort for making my oatmeal in the morning, but it does look nice. I usually just add a chopped up apple (which I let get warm but not cooked), some raisins, and maple sugar.

J. P. said...

what a great post Steph, makes me want to go get some oats.--Lisa

aswesow said...

We use alot of instant oatmeal in those expensive little packets. I'm sure I can make it for a fraction of the price. I took quick oats, put about 1/3 of them through the food processor, mixed them with instant milk powder, berry sugar, salt, freeze dried fruit, jelly powder of the same flavor. It's O.K...but I'm missing something. How should I prepare rolled oats for instant oatmeal? I know I'm a little off topic...but if I can get it right, vanilla spiced pears would be a good flavor