Savory Oat bran Cereal

     Everyone loves sweet oatmeal. There's apple cinnamon, vanilla, banana, maple brown sugar, and the list goes on. I think oats are a little exclusive only letting in sweet and cutting off all the rest of the tastes. In elementary school the rule goes "no closed games," so how about no closed cereal bowls?  Open your mind and get ready for some innovative nourishment. It's a whole new Oat-look ;-).

     When traveling in the midwest and the south, I noticed they ate a lot of grits, especially cheese grits. When I asked for my bowl with cinnamon only and no cheese at a restaurant, they looked at me like I was crazy. What I dismissed, as yet another overly greasy southern food, ended up planting a seed in my mind. You could consider this cheese grits healthier cousin. If you have yet to try toasted oat bran cereal, you are in for an unexpected surprise. What comes into the microwave looking like sawdust, comes back looking like  cream of wheat (except higher in protein and fiber). This is perfect, for after skiing, a run, or long hike in the cold. 

Ingredients- Serves 1

• 1/3 cup oat bran cereal (dry hot cereal)
• 2/3 cup milk- not almond or any sweet milk, water will work too
• 2 tsp chia seeds/ powder-optional
• 2.5 tbs asiago cheese
• salt to taste
• no salt seasoning to taste- I used chili garlic salt. 
• 1-2 eggs room temperature is optimal

Directions

• Microwave oat bran, milk, and chia seeds in a bowl for 2 minutes, stopping once to stir. 
• Fry an egg
• Remove oat bran bowl and stir in cheese
• Top with egg and seasoning
• Note: this tastes great with many other flavors. Consider pesto as an alternative.
• Tip! I like to get a head start by combining all the ingredients (minus the egg) in a glass jar and put it in the fridge the night before. In the morning, microwave the jar and fry the egg. 

Enjoy this new creation- Feel free to leave comments or questions.