raising risotto.

often times, breakfast for me is kind of a quickie. fruit, yogurt, ice, blend. occasionally i'll have some cereal if i have some laying around. call it laziness...i'd rather wash my blender than think of what to make in the morning. sometimes, though, i get in the mood of making a legit breakfast. my go-to? oatmeal.

usually i like my oatmeal with brown sugar and a big handful of raisins. sometimes it's maple syrup. sometimes just packet of equal and milk. oatmeal can be pretty routine with everything tipping on the sweet scale. but then i found the world of savory oats that i never knew existed or even though about! man, what a find!

i've only ever made savory oatmeal twice. the first recipe was with spinach and a fried egg. while tasty, i found that the textures was kind of one-dimentional (read: "mushy") and after eating it, i wanted more of a chew...and not so soupy. so i decided to do one on the fly and ended up with a much thicker consistency and definitely more of the mouth feel i was looking for. bonus? i didn't even miss the egg. :)

Pea and Onion Oat Risotto
(makes one serving)

1/4 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup frozen peas
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup or so low sodium chicken broth
2 to 3 tbsp milk
grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
olive oil
small handful of fried onion

In a small sauce pan on medium heat, add enough oil to saute garlic and onions. After a minute, add the frozen peas and cook until the peas have slightly browned. Add the oats and cook until the oats have slightly toasted. Add the tarragon, paprika, and enough broth to submerge the oat mixture. Season with some pepper and a pinch of salt. Let thicken slightly then add the milk, stirring often. Once the oats have reached desired consistency, add in parmesan cheese to taste and season with additional salt and pepper. Serve with the fried onion (i used french's), a dash of paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil.