Avena Navideña
Christmastime in Mexico means all variety of things “Navideño,” from cinnamon-apple scented floor cleaner (a personal fave) to the cranberry-turkey panini navideño at Starbucks, and even a queso navideño (manchego with pecans – I was intrigued and had to buy it, though I’ve yet to bust open the package… thinking it would make a great queso fundido at a holiday party).
Prepping for Thanksgiving, I pulled a bag of cranberries out of the freezer to make cranberry sauce, but never got around to it as I came down with a sore throat and ended up spending the day in bed resting.
So Saturday morning, feeling recovered and holiday-inspired, I made a batch of avena navideña – cranberry-orange oatmeal – which tasted like a hot delicious bowl of Christmas morning. We’ve been eating a lot of oatmeal lately and experimenting with flavors (piña colada being another recent fave). Even Gabbi, who has not liked oatmeal since I’ve known him, has become a convert.
You can basically add the cranberries and orange to any oatmeal recipe you like, but here is my version (most measurements are approximate – aside from the oats and water, I really just throw everything else in):
In a saucepan, mix together and simmer over low heat:
1 c oats
2 c water
~2 tbsp freshly ground flaxseed
~2 tbsp wheat germ
~2-3 tbsp whey protein powder (vanilla flavor)
1 tbsp chia seeds
~½ c fresh cranberries and orange segments
juice from ½ orange
zest from 1 large orange
when thickened nicely and ready to eat, stir in:
2 tsp coconut oil
and top with toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and orange wedge to garnish
¡Buen Provecho y Feliz Navidad!
-QM