Bloo-burries, blue-bear-ees, tomay-toe, tomahtoe. I recently sat at a brunch table, collectively a bloody mary deep, immersed in this age-old linguistic conundrum, dating back something to like the revolutionary war when the English language accent dissipated with colonial control. However you choose to pronounce is entirely up to you as is how to accessorize your hot or cold cereal. And, if I might offer a suggestion there, don't go with tomato -- or tomahtos, for that matter. Not today, anyway. And while the proper pronunciation of the confidently antioxidant-boasting berry may already raise a few questions of fairly dire importance, a more pressing one still stands: Why does the title of this post fail to account any of the blue-heavy pigments dominating these images?
Well, the real answer proves underwhelming and mainly has a lot to with my flair for things impromptu and last minute embellishments. I wouldn't leave my apartment without at least two necklaces on my person everyday, so why deprive my oatmeal of its beloved blueberries? (Not to mention my brain of their potent anti-immflammatory benefits and cancer fighting magic power he-who-shall-not-be-named wouldn't dare to duel.) Moreover, it's my job to benevolently coerce you into cooking these things. And in that regard, I chose them, not unlike how I did my metallic Pokemon cards, purely for superficial and aesthetic logic, or non-logic.
Blueberries aside, the title is no misnomer and actually, divinely inspired. I say divinely because lately I've introduced a few new skincare products into my morning and nightly rituals which I now revere them as earthly deities. Being someone who's historically neglected the cries of my epidermis, I made a point to do so as a quasi-new years resolution of keeping my body generally better hydrated, on the inside and out. After all, quote to the great Derek Zoolander, moisture is the essence of beauty, right?
So as the church bells of my iPhone sang at 7:30 AM one early morning, I stayed in bed, reassuring myself that warmth beneath my covers and meditatively closed eyes would be conducive for a breakfast-brainstorm. Turns out, I was wrong. And, on top of that, missed my yoga class because I fell back to sleep. Some hours later, I woke up and as I began going through the motions, the breakfast brainstorm resumed. Oatmeal? No, buckwheat. Just bought that bag of Bob's Redmill, yes, yes. Love, Bob. Bob loves grains. Love that Bob loves grains, so many varietals of grain. What fruit do we have? I'm so bored with bananas....
Still undecided and half-pissed I missed yoga, I grabbed the new Kiehl's Fig Leaf and Sage body lotion my best friend gave me for Christmas. (Yeah, she gets me.) But as I rubbed it into my hands the musky, sweet aroma presented some scent for thought: What the name of god is a fig leaf and is this really how it smells? All I'm getting is sage? Does fig leaf even smell? Do figs smell?....Do we have still have those turkish figs in the pantry?
So all hail the copywriters hiding behind almighty Lord Kiehl, who we ultimate owe thank you notes for this latest combination in porridge pairings. While fig leaf remains a mystery to me (aside from it's biblical use, of course) and something I definitely did't have on hand, I did find sage in the fridge and figs in the pantry. Admittedly, somehow fresh herbs never found their way into my oatmeal before this and I don't hate it. By cooking the figs with the buckwheat and almond milk, their sweetness infuses itself directly into the cereal. And as always, feel free to use your cereal of choosing.
Oh yeah, and then I put some bloo-burries on it.
Here's to finding inspiration in the most unassuming of non-digestibles,
KK xx
Sage Leaf and Fig Buckwheat Breakfast Bowl
Serves One
1/4 C. Bob's Redmill Cream of Buckwheat Cereal
1 C. Almond milk, or your preferred dairy or non-dairy milk + 2 T. for rimming
5-6 dried figs
1 T. good honey
1 T. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
3 T. fresh sage, chopped, reserve some for garnish
1 T. chia seeds + 1/2 C. almond milk optional
A handful of blueberries
1 T. roasted kasha (buckwheat groats), pepitas, etc for topping, optional
Chiffonade the sage and and cut the figs into quarters, set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the cereal and milk, 3/4 of the figs, sage, cinnamon, honey and nutmeg. Cook the cereal according the manufacturers instructions, roughly about 10 minutes simmering over medium-low heat.
If you are using the chia seeds, add them when the cereal is just about done cooking, stirring them in with the 1/2 C. almond milk as they will noticeably thicken the mixture.
Transfer the cereal to a bowl, top with leftover sage, figs and a handful of fresh blueberries. Sprinkle buckwheat groats or pepitas for an extra crunch. Rim with a bit of almond milk and enjoy.