I got riled up the other morning.
This does not happen often. I am typically pretty happy-go-lucky, but Facebook took me over the edge.
It wasn’t a political statement, first-world problems or one of the uglier -isms, no it was pumpkin spice. In a world where we increasingly vilify real food in favor of weird, processed and extracted things like the powders, bars and Big Macs that are slowly killing us, I hit my wall at this autumn’s onslaught of pumpkin spice.
The aforementioned lattes, scones and pancakes are delicious, I’m sure, but they owe their flavor to pumpkin as much as a green Jolly Rancher gains its tart/sweet bite from apple juice. Rather than stew, I stood up and entered the kitchen, pulling a container of freshly roasted Galeux d’Eysines pumpkin out of the fridge. I combined it with oatmeal and baking spices, two tablespoons of maple sugar and a pinch of salt.
And…? Success! Pumpkin spice that tasted like pumpkin. A breakfast with enough fibre to make every dietary organization in America faint with delight. Most importantly, it was hearty and delicious, the perfect start to a crisp fall or brisk winter day. You could even enjoy it with a latte.
Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
Serves 4
Fresh pumpkin makes his extra special. Roast a peanut pumpkin, Speckled Hound, Long Island Cheese or Hubbard. Or open up a can. Just make sure there’s real pumpkin.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh pumpkin purée
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 3 tbs maple or brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground all spice
- Pinch of salt
- 3 cups water
Directions:
- Mix together all ingredients in a small saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring as oatmeal thickens.
- Cook to desired thickness, remove from heat and serve.
Delicious! I just roasted a part of a gooseneck pumpkin left over from my CSA and was planning to make a big batch of oatmeal anyway. Nice to have “pumpkin spice” something with real pumpkin in it. Thank you!