Oatmeal with Italian Cherries and Almonds
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Elevate your morning oats with amazingly delicious preserved Italian amarena cherries and a healthful mix of fresh berries, nuts and seeds.
The two best things about creamy oatmeal:
- Oatmeal is adaptable. The bland nature of oats means you can go wild with flavorings. And you don’t need to waste your money on those super-sweetened oatmeal packets lining supermarket shelves.
- They’re quick! Oats take literally minutes to make in a microwave or on top of the stove. That means you can get a healthy start to your day in no time.
Amarena cherries are a type tart cherry grown in northern Italy.
They’re packed in flavorful cherry syrup, and let me tell you they are the cherry bomb. They have a tart sweetness and an intense almond-candy smell and taste.
While the word “amarena” makes me think of almond-flavored amaretto, it actually derives from the word amara which means “bitter” in Italian.
These darkly colored cherries aren’t bitter at all — they taste amazing over warm, creamy oats (not to mention other treats like ice cream and creative cocktails).
These sweet cherries might be a slightly indulgent garnish for oatmeal, but a little goes a long way. Plus, you can feel good about the fact that cherries are regarded as a superfood!
Make this morning bowl even more interesting (and nutritious) by topping with fresh berries, healthful sesame seeds and plain yogurt.
Oatmeal with Italian Cherries and Almonds
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, quick or regular
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk of choice, cow, almond, etc.
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 cup amarena cherries in syrup
- Toasted sliced almonds
Topping options:
- Sesame seeds
- Ground flax seed
- Cacao nibs
- Chopped dark chocolate
- Plain yogurt
- Fresh berries
Instructions
- Mix the oats, salt and 1 cup milk in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high heat for 1 – 1/2 minutes or until the milk is absorbed and the oats are thickened to your liking.
- Stir the additional milk into the oats until creamy.
- Top the oats with the cherries, almonds and optional toppings.
Nutrition
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I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about making cooking fun and doable, with easy to follow tested recipes and incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
Now I want this!!
XO
Fresh red, sour cherries, lots of sugar, vinegar, lemon juice or balsamic, vanilla. Be sure to leave in some pits for the special flavor. Marinate for at least a month.
What a sensational combination of flavors. Looks great!
This is great…cherries and almonds. A perfect marriage! 😉
I have got to find those cherries, they sound amazing. Would love ’em in my oatmeal.
Hi, Karen,
The pits of stone fruits contain kernels that have a strong almond essence (also traces of cyanide), which probably explains the almond essence you’re picking up. The kernels of apricots are actually used in the making of Italian amaretti cookies (i.e., Amaretti di Saronno). I love amarena cherries, too – I like to use them in my flourless choco cake!
Marla – you can find them at an Italian grocery if you have one near you. Let me know how you like them.
HI Julie; So interesting! I love how science has delicious surprises. I’d heard that about the cyanide in apricot pits, but never noticed the flavor when I ate stone fruits before. Maybe I need to go eat some in Italy.
Ohhh i’m so tempted to buy those $13 dollar cherries! How could you do this to me. 😉 That’s not tooo much money…
This oatmeal looks good. I love mine with almond milk too.
Lol – Emily, I know, at $13 they are a bit pricey. It’s too bad that being picky about ingredients can be costly! But i’s the kind of splurge I rate with buying good chocolate, olive oil, etc.