When at all possible, I like to begin my copious daily vegetable intake at breakfast. Since I am not worldly enough to have embraced some of the savory breakfasts I’ve heard about from friends who have traveled far and wide (especially to Asia), my efforts in this regard have mostly been limited to scrambled eggs with veggies, quiches and other members of the egg genre.
Lately, my breakfasts have alternated between veggie scrambles with a side of sprouted grain toast, and nonfat Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and ground flaxseed. Both are healthy, but fruit takes a slight backseat to veggies, nutritionally speaking.
Well guess what? There’s a new veggie vehicle in town…oatmeal!
 I don’t know why I thought of it (and I’m sure I’m not the first to have done so), but it occurred to me the other day that if grated zucchini is tasty in quickbreads and cakes, it would be tasty in oatmeal, too. And I was right! Actually, you couldn’t taste it much (kind of like when it’s in zucchini bread), and I might use more next time. I topped mine with a bit of unsweetened shredded coconut, a small spoonful of Trader Joe’s sunflower butter, and a small sprinkle of granola for crunch.

Zucchini Oatmeal
Serves 1

Ingredients:
1/3 cup regular or thick-cut oats
1 tablespoon oat bran
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/3 cup milk, soymilk or almond milk
1/3 cup water (or more, depending on the consistency you like)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup grated zucchini (mine was even a little rounded)
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
Optional: shredded coconut, nut butter or other toppings

  1. Place the first nine ingredients (oats through salt) in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir well to combine. Add zucchini and flaxseed; stir again.
  2. Stir occasionally until the mixture starts to bubble, then turn down the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring more frequently, until the mixture has the consistency you prefer, usually around 5 more minutes. You can add more water if it’s getting too thick for your liking.
  3. Remove from heat, stir in ground flaxseeds, and scoop it into your bowl. Add any optional toppings you prefer, and eat up!