Steel Cut Oats with Cranberries and Orange

It’s that kind of day- dreary and cold. The whole family needed something to brighten the morning so I decided to combine two of my favorite things- oatmeal and cranberry sauce. I prepped the oats the night before using the tried and true Cooks Illustrated recipe (https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/7020-ten-minute-steel-cut-oatmeal). I whipped up the cranberry sauce in the morning and topped it with some granola (see recipe in blog for homemade granola). This sauce is adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant’s Book of Desserts.

Ingredients:

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (you may want more depending on your taste)

1 cup water

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 orange, zested and squeezed

3 1/2 tsp. arrowroot powder

*prepared gluten-free steel cut oats

Method of Preparation:

1. Rinse cranberries and place in a small saucepan
2. Add the apricots, honey, water, cinnamon, orange juice and zest.
3. Begin to heat the mixture and slowly add the arrowroot powder while stirring.
4. Continue to cook the sauce, stirring often, until it’s slightly thickened and the cranberries begin to pop.
5. Ladle a few spoonfuls on to your oatmeal.
6. Save leftover sauce in refrigerator