Waking up to a bowl of lavender infused oatmeal is bound to lift your spirit

This whimsical pear & lavender infused, creamy steel-cut oatmeal will make you want to curl up and savor every delectable, floral scented bite. Topped with pecans, a dash of cream and a splash of dark maple syrup, you’ll have a hard time resisting a second bowl!

Not only will this oatmeal take your senses for a frolic through lavender fields abuzz with honey bees and butterflies (with a little imagination), but the addition of this fragrant herb will aid in digestion, help to lift your mood and fortify your body with its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Oatmeal reheats easily with a splash of water on low heat, so make a big batch and help yourself to a bowl of this health promoting, naturally gluten free hot cereal for several mornings in a row. Together with ghee, pecans, lavender and pear you’ll be nourishing your body with a revitalizing dose of vitamins, minerals, fiber and many other nutrients.

Cooking Notes

As always, I can’t stress enough how important it is that your ingredients be organic. There are many chemicals that will otherwise make their way into your meals, for example maple syrup coming from farms that are not organic contains formaldehyde! Be sure your maple syrup is organic. Single source local maple syrup is best, but if that’s not available Coombs maple syrup is a delicious option.

The Oats

Oats are naturally gluten free, but to ensure that your oatmeal is gluten free you’ll need to buy oatmeal processed in a dedicated gluten free facility and labeled as such.

This recipe can be made with pre-soaked/ fermented oats or dry oats if you’re in a pinch. For cooking with dry oats simply add 7 cups of water instead of 4 cups (outlined in the recipe).

If you can plan ahead, I recommend you take the time to soak the oats overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours. All you have to do is:

cover the oats with plenty of filtered drinking water in a big bowl
add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice
give it a swirl and cover with lid or dish towel
place in a dark, warm place for 6 to 24 hours

If you run into not having the time to cook the oats when the 24 hours is up, simply pour out the soaking water and replace with a fresh batch of water and vinegar. You can repeat this for several days if needed, to only reap greater benefits.

To get more details and learn why soaking your oats is important to staying in tip-top health, read: The How & Why of Soaking Grains, Nuts & Legumes

The Lavender

Be careful to buy Organic Culinary Lavender. With much of lavender intended for satchels of potpourri, those crops are often doused in toxic pesticides. You want to be sure that what you’re consuming is chemical free Lavandula angustifolia. The 4 oz bag from Feel Good Organics will last you a long while, and if stored in a tightly sealed glass container in a dark cupboard, it will remain potent for many months or even years to come.

For some people the hint of lavender infused into the oatmeal may be enough of the floral flavor. To be safe, try a spoonful of oatmeal with a sprinkle of lavender before garnishing your entire bowl.

The Dairy

If dairy is part of your diet, don’t skip the ghee and raw milk or cream! Sadly not all of us have access to raw milk, but we can all get our hands on this delicious ghee from 4th & Heart. If you’re curious about how to access raw milk in your area try searching Real Milk for local sources.

It’s important to add healthy saturated fats to a carb heavy meal so that your body can absorb many of the fat-soluble nutrients in the dish, but also to slow down the release of simple carbs into your blood stream. As I always say, it’s not the fat that makes you fat, it’s the sugar!

If you don’t do dairy I’d suggest adding a small amount of coconut oil for a bit of fat content, but be ginger, so as not to overpower the flavor of the oatmeal. Another great option is hemp oil. This would be quite delicious mixed in once you’ve removed the oatmeal from heat, giving it a more earthy than astringent flavor as with the coconut oil.

The Tea

This isn’t part of the recipe per se, but I recommend that you pair this fanciful breakfast with Rose Petal Tea! Rose Petal tea is one of my all time favorite teas, and a perfect compliment to the astringent and floral notes of lavender. Stir in some honey and cream, and this anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial herb, will help to accentuate the comforting and calming qualities of this already nurturing meal.

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Pear + Lavender Steel Cut Oatmeal

Created by Patryce Kinga Bak on January 12, 2017

Top with pecans, a dash of cream, a splash of dark maple syrup and savor every bite of this whimsical pear & lavender infused steel-cut oatmeal!

Prep Time: 10m
Cook Time: 35m
Total Time: 45m

Serves: 6
Yield: 2 Quarts

Ingredients

2 cups dry Steel Cut Oats, soaked in water + splash of vinegar overnight
4 cups Filtered Water for pre-soaked Oats (or 7 cups Water for dry Oats)
2 Bosc (most flavorful) or Anjou Pears, chopped roughly into 1/2" cubes
4 tablespoons pasture-raised Ghee or Butter
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Sea salt
1/2 tablespoon Dried Organic Lavender

Garnish

1 cup Pecans
spoonful of pasture-raised Ghee
dash pasture-raised Cream or Milk (raw if you can get it!)
dash Grade A Organic Maple Syrup
pinch Dried Organic Lavender

Instructions

Optional: Soak oats overnight or for about 8 hours in plenty of filtered water with a splash of vinegar. Stir before covering with a lid or kitchen towel. Set in the warmest place in your kitchen.
Chop pears. Drain soaked oatmeal and rinse a couple times with fresh water. Combine pears, oats and water in a 3+ QT heavy pot. Stir and cook on medium-high heat until water comes to a boil. Skim the "scum" or foam off the top (optional).
Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes until the water has absorbed. Stir and scrape up the bottom with a flat edged wooden spoon every 5 or so minutes to prevent burning.
Before serving stir in salt, lavender and ghee to the entire batch. Top each bowl with any combination of pecans, a spoonful of ghee, a sprinkle of lavender, a dash of cream and dark maple syrup. Top with the lot of these goodies and you won't regret it!