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rain, rain go away….

I’m sitting in my office at home right now, drinking a glass of wine listening to the patter of rain hit the window.  I’m also thinking about the holiday weekend and the bowl of early season apples I picked up at the farmer’s market earlier this week.  With a potential girls night dinner (and the obvious wine that comes along with any good girls dinner) I am throwing around a million ideas for what to do with those beautiful red and green speckled gems. Cinnamon and vanilla bean applesauce with honey crème fraiche? Coriander and citrus spiced apple cobbler? Then I remembered the whole wheat bread scraps in the freezer….and the almonds I just toasted up….and the coconut milk I just bought….and the couple of extra eggs I had in the fridge.  I also thought about the fact that Chicago is about to have a 15-20 degree temperature drop (I mean, it’s not that big of a shock….that is, afterall, completely standard behavior for Chicago) and I felt like a homey, chewy, warm baked dessert  is just what the apple doctor ordered. 
So, apple bread pudding it is. And I might just throw in some toasted amaranth, maybe some millet. You never know…. In the meantime, until I make my soon to be tasty apple bread pudding, make do with this oatmeal and honeyed apple breakfast recipe. I love it for those mornings when you want to curl up with a good book, a steamy mug of freshly brewed coffee and a bowl of somethin’ tasty.  (and be sure to stop by again on Saturday for the bread pudding recipe!)
Steel Cut Oatmeal with Honeyed Apples
Dairy Free (Gluten Free if you get Bob’s Red Mill Oats)
Serves 2
1 t. coconut oil
½ c. steel cut oats
1 ½ c. boiling water
¼ c. + 2 T. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 t. coconut oil
1 apple, cored and cut into 1” chunks
1 t. ground cinnamon (I prefer freshly ground Saigon)
2 T. honey (as local as you can find)
1 T. chia seeds
1 T. toasted almonds
DIRECTIONS
  1. Heat a medium saucepan 1 minute.  Add the coconut oil and the oats and stir to coat.  Toast the oats 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add the boiling water and cook 25 minutes, covered.  Do not stir
  3. Add the almond milk and stir to combine.  Cook another 8-10 minutes.
  4. While the oatmeal is cooking, prepare the honeyed apples.  Begin by heating a sauté pan 1 minute over medium.
  5. Add the teaspoon of coconut oil and then the apples.  Saute the apples over medium heat until beginning to soften and brown lightly.
  6. Add the cinnamon and toss to coat, cinnamon should be fragrant.
  7. Add the honey and stir to coat.  Remove apples from heat.
  8. Split the oatmeal evenly between two bowls.  Divide the honeyed apples up between the two bowls.
  9. Sprinkle the chia seeds and the toasted almonds over the apples in the bowls.
Enjoy!