Savory Oatmeal with Kale, Avocado, Black Beans & Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon

This savory oatmeal was one of those recipes that I saw and immediately knew I must make.  What I didn’t know is just how much I’d love it.  I’ve only made savory oatmeal once before and honestly, I recall not really caring for it and never making it again.  I’m not too sure why I posted a recipe I didn’t even like, maybe I thought folks who were more keen on cottage cheese would feel differently.  But I can promise you, this recipe I love, and consequently have made three different riffs on it in just a few short days.

This looks like a lot of steps and ingredients, and admittedly it is more complicated than a bowl of cereal.  But you could certainly cook enough of the individual components for the entire week ahead of the and simple assemble the bowls each morning.  The baba ghanoush and nutritional yeast stirred into the oatmeal make for a rich, creamy base that will compliment just about anything you put on top of it.  Here are a couple of ways you can modify this bowl to your liking:

• I decided to use baba ghanoush because I love it’s smokiness, but you could also use any variety of hummus you please
• Brussels sprouts instead of kale
• Turkey sausage instead of tempeh
• A soft egg on top!

Savory Oatmeal with Kale, Avocado, Black Beans & Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon

Adapted from Emilie Eats

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup dried oats
• 1½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoon baba ghanoush or hummus
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups kale, stems removed, chopped
• ½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or liquid aminos
• 1 teaspoon sriracha
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• 8 slices smoky maple tempeh (can also use 4 oz plain tempeh)
• ½ avocado, sliced

How-To:

1. In small bowl, combine  soy sauce, sriracha, olive oil, maple syrup, liquid smoke, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; mix well.  If using plain tempeh, let it marinate for a bit.  Otherwise, you’ll just add this to the pan later.
2. In a small saucepan, add water; bring to a boil. Add the oats; reduce heat to simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the nutritional yeast, baba ghanoush, salt and pepper. Divide into two bowls.
3. While the oats are cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped kale and stir; cook until slightly wilted, 3-5 minutes. Add black beans; season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 more minute. Top each bowl of oatmeal with half the mixture.
4. In the same skillet over medium heat, warm a little oil. Add the smoky sauce you made in step 1 to the pan and place tempeh strips in lines.  Cook tempeh until it begins to caramelize, about 2-3 minutes; flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Top bowl with tempeh and ¼ avocado each.

Serves 2

Johanna