Dinner Changes Every Day. Breakfast Should Too!

Some people like the same breakfast every day. Me, not so much. I’ve written about this tendency for at least 30 years – after my first trip to Asia, I remember being beyond excited to sample kao tom and jook made by people who grew up eating those breakfast stews – and, after some consideration, I realized I could stop thinking of myself as weird. Almost no one who isn’t forced to eats the same dinner every night; surely there’s nothing wrong with the varied breakfast.

This week’s was yet another twist on the oatmeal stew, created (if it isn’t already a staple somewhere in the world, which wouldn’t surprise me) because I found myself with a quart or so of white beans cooked with tomatoes until they resembled the Heinz classic.

I don’t know how the beans were cooked, exactly, but I know they weren’t made with Heinz because I found them in my freezer. And I don’t know what inspired me, other than that I was in the mood for oatmeal. The oats and beans combination, either naked sprinkled with a little chopped celery, scallion, cilantro, or all three, has warmed and filled me every morning for a week (except Friday, when I was still gorging on Thanksgiving leftovers), and I think it’s worth sharing.

This is what my pal Kerri and I, in the heyday of VB6, would politely call a bowl of crap. It’s rice and beans with oats instead of rice, and as such nothing special, but it’s vegan, healthy, filling and good-tasting. No doubt you can improve on it, and I’d like to hear about that. You’ll find that recipe below, along with one for jook (Chinese rice porridge) and a savory, spicy Indian version of scrambled eggs (called Akoori) for good measure. They’re tasty, different, and (in my book) no less breakfast-y than cereal or an omelet. Let me know what you think.

— Mark

Start with tomato-y beans (assuming you don’t already have some buried in your freezer, I’ve included a basic recipe), add some rolled oats, water, salt and pepper, and in 10 minutes (more or less) you’ve got a wonderful and totally surprising breakfast. (Of course, this would be no less satisfying as lunch or dinner.)