Breakfast of Champions

I was born and raised in the Bay Area, and returned there after college to start my professional life. As a result, I am a spoiled, spoiled little foodie.

Everything you hear about California food is true. The produce really is that fresh, especially in the summer. The "ethnic" restaurants really are that good. The grocery stores really are that well-stocked. And yes, for all you New Englanders bemoaning your blue laws, you really can shop for wine and string cheese in the same store. My sleepy Silicon Valley town, with a population well under 100,000, has a huge year-round farmer's market--year-round!--and a wealth of gourmet, Asian and Latin American food purveyors.

I love it. I love fresh vegetables, and spices, and crazy-almost-pretentious California flavor combinations, and San Francisco sourdough with a good fatty Brie. I'll write about these things, I promise.

But for my first post, I'm going to talk about oatmeal.



Let me explain. While it's true that living in California has been a boon for me as a home cook, I also have to work with limitations.

• I have insulin resistance, meaning that my body has difficulty metabolizing sugar properly. It's not diabetes, so I don't have to give up my pretzels and rice and pasta and candy altogether. But I also don't really want it to become diabetes, so I have to watch what I eat. I rely on complex carbohydrates--like fresh fruit, brown rice and whole wheat pasta and bread--whenever possible. I cook to reflect that. But sometimes it's hard.
• My parents, meanwhile, are pescatarians--vegetarians who eat fish. They're also extremely health-focused, and suspicious of any dietary fat that's not olive oil. Living at home, I learned to cook absurdly health-conscious meals.
• Growing up, my sister refused to eat bread, cheese, vegetables, spices, or anything green or strongly-flavored. I've had to develop a thick skin and expect that my cooking will sometimes be rejected.

As a result, I like to think that I'm a more flexible, open-minded, and healthy cook. But it's hard work, to please so many tastes and demands at once. Sometimes I just want a little comfort food, no limits, no complaints.

I was thinking about this one day a few months ago while making my early-morning pre-commute breakfast. My mind--for whatever reason--wandered to Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich, and I was blinded by a sudden craving for bananas and peanut butter. I had both in the kitchen, and a warm bowl of oatmeal in front of me. I've never been one to leave well enough alone when it comes to food, so the culinary tinkerer in me took over and I went to town.

The resulting delicious mush would probably underwhelm my mother (who hates bananas), my sister (who really hates bananas), and my father (who would say it's too fatty and rich). But I don't care. This is comfort food, a real stick-to-your-ribs way to start the day, and it's got the whole grains and protein my doctor demands. I get warm fuzzies just thinking about it.

And those warm fuzzies are really what cooking is about, gourmet ingredients or no.

Oatmeal with Peanut Butter and Banana (serves one)

1/2 cup dry old-fashioned oats
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 banana, sliced thin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp honey (optional)
Salt to taste

Cook the oatmeal according to package directions, making it as chewy or creamy as you like. While the oatmeal is still warm, stir in all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Eat with glee, in heaping spoonfuls, then dash out of the house because you're running late for your train...again.