Inspiration for this curious morning recipe popped up on our recent Pacific Northwest road trip. The perfect fuel for a day peddling around the San Juan Islands, a stroll through Bend along the Ale Trail, or a paddle board down the Boise River…
Ingredients:
Walnut Balls –
4 Walnut Burger Patties (thawed)
Form each of the 4 patties into 3 Walnut Balls, place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and bake them at 325 degrees. For the best browning, bake them for 15 minutes :: rotate :: 15 more minutes :: rotate :: 3 minutes :: rotate :: 3 more minutes, and then they should be done.
Savory Oatmeal –
¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 teaspoons fennel seed
3 cups water
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup golden raisins
1 cup steel-cut oats
2 small sprigs of rosemary, stripped and chopped
Honey to taste
In a medium pot, toast the nuts and fennel seed and remove them to a plate. Add water, milk, butter, salt, golden raisins, and rosemary. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add oats and simmer for 20 minutes or until oats are tender. Add toasted nuts and fennel.
*If using rolled oats, use ½ cup milk and 1 ½ cups water and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Top your savory oatmeal with a couple walnut balls and a drizzle of local bee nectar!
Serves 4