These Golden Oats with Caramelized Apples sound like a sweet-treat breakfast but it’s actually super healthy! Creamy oats golden with turmeric powder, mixed with blueberries, peanut butter, cinnamon, and topped with lightly-sweetened caramelized apples. For bonus points I add flaxseed meal, making this tasty and easy-to-make morning meal a breakfast of champions!
Tips for Success
- Use whichever oats you have on hand. I usually make this with regular or quick-cooking steel cut oats, but I also like to mix it up with rolled oats. Feel free to use other healthy grains too, like millet or quinoa.
- Don’t peel the apple! Most of nutrients is concentrated in the apple skin, as well as a pop of color and flavor. Always wash apples, buy organic if possible, but many health benefits are coming from the apple peel.
- The longer the cook time with oats, the more nutritious they are. Regular steel-cut oats will be the most nutritious, followed by quick-cooking steel cut oats, then rolled oats, and finally quick-cooking rolled oats at the bottom of the list.
Nutrition Spotlight
Whole grains
Whole grains are loaded with fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Incorporating whole grains in your diet every meal helps improve blood cholesterol levels and reduces risk for heart disease and stroke, lowers risk of type II diabetes, and keeps you feeling full longer and therefore helps with weight loss!
Apples
The saying we all grew up hearing, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” isn’t exaggerating; eating a single apple daily reduces your chance of dying from all causes put together by 35%! Apples are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and may help protect against type II diabetes, as the polyphenols slow the digestion and absorption of blood sugars. Apples are considered a low glycemic food rated at 44 on the glycemic index.
Turmeric
This golden root powder is packed with powerful health benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial activities, thanks to the curcumin in turmeric. Our bodies don’t easily absorb curcumin, so always pair turmeric with fresh ground black pepper. The active ingredient in black pepper, piperine, increases the bioavailability of curcumin by 2,000%!
Cinnamon
Cinnamon adds warmth and depth while being packed with antioxidants and compounds that may help support blood sugar balance.
Blueberries
Blueberries are considered a superfood for good reason! Blueberries may provide protection against cancer, especially breast cancer and cancer of the GI tract, help control blood sugar as well as improve insulin sensitivity, boost brain health, and heart health. Berries in general have nearly 10x more antioxidant power than other fruits and vegetables!
Flaxseed meal
Flaxseed meal is loaded omega-3 fatty acids (Bob’s Red Mill boasts 2,430 mg in 2 Tbsp!). Flaxseeds also contain lignans, powerful compounds which can help suppress breast cancer tumor growth. I recommend flaxseed meal over whole seeds (unless you grind them) as the body will pass the seeds before nutrients can be extracted.
Golden Oats with Caramelized Apples
Ingredients
Caramelized Apples
- 2 apples sliced and unpeeled
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
Oats
- ¾ cup steel cut oats regular or quick cooking or sub rolled oats
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- few grinds of black pepper
- 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1-2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
- ¾ cup blueberries frozen or fresh
For serving
- plant milk
Instructions
- In a large skillet (preferably non-stick) on medium heat, add everything under “Caramelized Apples” and stir to coat evenly. Cover with a lid and cook until apples are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash more water if needed.
- In a medium-sized pot, bring oats and water to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add cinnamon, turmeric, and a few grinds of black pepper. See package directions for cook time.
- When oats finish cooking, stir in peanut butter, flaxseed meal, and blueberries (cook a few minutes longer if frozen so oats don’t get cold) then turn off heat. Taste, adding anything more it may need
- Serve, topping with caramelized apples. Enjoy!
