Honey Oatmeal with Spiced Pears and Pecans

Milk and honey make this oatmeal creamy and sweet—just the way kids like it (adults too!).

The apple juice also adds sweetness, so if you like less-sweet oatmeal, replace some of the apple juice with water.

Adapted from Fresh Choices by David Joachim and Rochelle Davis (Rodale).

(Makes 2 to 3 servings)

• 1 1/2 cups organic apple juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• Pinch of salt
• 2 organic pears, peeled, cored, and chopped. (If you don’t have organic pears, use organic apples or peaches instead.)
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup steel-cut oats or old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup organic 1% milk
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans

• 1. Put the apple juice, honey, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
• 2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the pears, raisins (if using), and oats.
• 3. Simmer until thickened and the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes for steel-cut oats or 5 to 7 minutes for rolled oats.
• 4. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk.
• 5. Serve sprinkled with the pecans.

TIP: Steel-cut oats, also known as Scotch oats or Irish oatmeal, are oats that have been cut into a few coarse pieces rather than rolled flat like old-fashioned oatmeal. These oats take a bit longer to cook, but they have a pleasantly chewy texture and nuttier flavor than old-fashioned rolled oats. Many supermarkets carry steel-cut oats in the cereal aisle.

Photographer: iStockphoto.com/Marie Fields

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