After successfully creating my Papaya, Lime, & Coconut Overnight Oatmeal, I reveled in my accomplishments for a few days. But then, suddenly, I realized I had to do something with the rest of that papaya. Some of it went into the freezer to make sorbet (which was delicious), but the rest waited for me in a Tupperware container. I was desperate to use it up, mostly because it was hogging an annoying amount of space in my New York City-sized refrigerator.
I also happened to have a large pint of blueberries on hand. I don’t trust berries, so whenever I have them, I try to use them as fast as possible. Thus, this combo was born. It’s not the most inspiring tale, but it’s the final result that matters.
Since both papaya and blueberry have fairly simple (sometimes muted) flavors, I decided to play around with the flavor profile and add ginger and a bit of citrus. It helped liven up the oatmeal so much. Unlike big-exploding-flavor fruits like mango and pineapple, papaya cannot hold up on its own. It needs friends. It turns out that that ginger makes a pretty good friend. 🙂
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What you'll need:
- 3/4 cup milk of choice, or water
- 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats
- 1/2 cup diced papaya
- pinch of ginger
- pinch of salt
- squeeze of lemon or lime juice or some zest, or both 🙂 (optional)
- fresh blueberries, for topping
- more diced papaya, for topping
- unsweetened coconut flakes, for topping
How to make it:
- Bring milk (I use 1/2 c almond milk and 1/4 c water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you’d like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
- Mash up papaya and add to the oatmeal. Stir occasionally.
- Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add ginger and salt. If using, add lemon juice or zest. Stir.
- When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, carefully fold in a small handful of blueberries.
- Then, transfer to a bowl. Top with more blueberries, more papaya, coconut (I toasted mine), and another splash of milk. Other possible toppings are any tropical fruit, nuts, coconut butter, or dried tropical fruits.
Just an FYI:
I did not have a lemon on hand, so I cheated and used the tiniest drop of lemon extract. If you follow this route, note that I said "TINIEST." A little goes a long way! 🙂
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