Peach Basil Oatmeal

Truthfully, I have wanted to make this recipe ever since I made my Strawberry Basil Oatmeal three years ago!! To celebrate the third birthday of that beautiful porridge (July 15, 2013), it seemed fitting to publish its peachy cousin. I think basil pairs well with most fruits, but strawberry and peach are probably my favorite candidates. If you’ve yet to try herbs in non-savory recipes, you are missing out on a whole category of DELICIOUS.

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup milk of choice, water, or peach juice (I used the Ceres brand)*
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• 1 ripe yellow peach, pitted and diced (peeling optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• splash of lemon juice
• 2-5 fresh basil leaves
• pinch of salt

How to make it:

1. Bring milk (I use 1/2 c peach juice and 1/4 c almond milk) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you’d like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
2. Add most of your diced peach to the oatmeal and reserve a few pieces for topping. Stir occasionally.
3. Using the chiffonade method, cut your basil into ribbons.
4. Once more of the liquid has absorbed in the oatmeal, add vanilla extract, lemon juice, a third of your basil ribbons, and salt. Stir.
5. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice, remaining diced peach, remaining basil ribbons, and any other additional toppings (nuts, balsamic reduction, coconut, yogurt, coconut whipped cream, etc.).

Just an FYI:

I think I have solved the mystery of how to keep a basil plant alive!

I tried watering more and watering less. I tried direct sunlight and indirect sunlight. I tried keeping it in the pot it came in and I tried repotting it in something bigger. No matter what, I slaughtered plant after plant within two weeks of buying it. I could actually fill a graveyard with all the basil plants I have killed–and not because I wasn’t trying!

But I may have figured it out: pruning. You have to prune that sucker. And that means cutting off every leaf when it is ready (they shouldn’t all be ready at the exact same time; leave some “younger” ones behind to encourage photosynthesis). If you leave a leaf on too long, it withers and drags the whole stem with it. Pretty soon, you have a basil plant full of drooping stems and withered leaves.

Prune away, friends. Store the leaves in a baggy or container in the fridge until you’re ready to use them. Don’t leave them on the plant.