savory oatmeal

Savory Arugula Shiitake Oats with Parmesan and Thyme

So I will admit it, I have been slacking on recipes recently. It's not that I haven't been playing around with new things, but the holidays were just hectic! I know, excuses excuses. BUT it is one of my New Years resolutions to get back to my normal recipe posting schedule because I have A LOT of exciting ideas coming your way.

I'm a huge savory breakfast person (if you couldn't already tell). I'd probably be very happy eating just eggs and veggies every single day. But I do like to switch it up. I think it's important to vary what you eat 1) so you don't get bored and 2) so you get different kinds of nutrients. So one of the ways I've been trying to vary my usual egg and veggies dish is oatmeal. And honestly, I just wasn't feeling something sweet. So I decided to try to make a savory oatmeal, and it was AMAZING.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup of rolled oats
-2 cups of your milk of choice (I use unsweetened almond milk, and that's what the nutrition info accounts for)
-2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup shitake mushrooms
-1 cup baby arugula
-2 cloves garlic
-1/4 cup red onion, chopped
-1 tsp olive oil (or your choice of oil)
-3 sprigs of thyme
-Sea salt and black pepper to taste
-2 eggs (optional but included in nutrition info)

Instructions:

1) Mix together the almond milk and oats in a pot, and heat on the stove top over high heat.
2) In the meantime, heat up the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in the garlic and onion and let cook for about a minute alone.
3) Add in the arugula and mushrooms and let cook down (about 3-5 minutes).  Remove from heat.
4) Once the oats are boiling, reduce the heat to low, and begin stirring regularly.
5) After about 3 minutes, as the oats are becoming a bit less watery, add in the garlic, onion, arugula, and mushroom mixture as well as the thyme, salt, and pepper. 
6) Stir regularly until the oatmeal becomes close to the consistency you want (about another 3-5 minutes). Add in the parmesan cheese, and continue stirring for an additional minute.
7) Once the oatmeal reaches your desired consistency and the cheese has melted, remove it from the heat and split between two bowls.
8) (Optional) In a skillet, soft fry two eggs, and top each bowl with one.
9) Enjoy!

I can't wait to recreate this dish! Next time I think I'm going to try gruyere cheese. I'm dreaming about it already. Let me know what you think in the comments below!