four(ish)-ingredient breakfasts

Last month I shared a few three-ingredient soup recipes from my Kitchen Trios series.

Up next: BREAKFAST.

I'm a big fan of breakfast. I know people who skip the meal entirely, and I can't help but feel a little sad for them. Only because most days, I look forward to breakfast. I don't do anything big or fancy, and I rarely stray from my routine almond milk yogurt with bananas, blueberries, and crunchy granola. But maybe that's part of why I love it so much: it's predictable and automatic, but also delicious and filling.

I know people have their reasons for skipping breakfast, so I won't try to convert anyone. But for those of you who dig that morning meal, I've got three oat-based recipes you might like. As for the "four(ish)" in the title of this post, I'll repeat my note from the soup post:

The Kitchen Trios series that these recipes come from presents kids with basic meals that require three ingredients. Sometimes this was really difficult, so we cheated a bit by differentiating between main ingredients and staple ingredients, like milk, butter, and oil. The three-ingredient premise may not be airtight, but the point of these books is to give young cooks and creators the bare essentials and encourage them to riff.

One YouTube commenter advised me to "just call it 5 ingredient." It's a fair point. I could labor over what qualifies as a staple ingredient and whether or not to include them in the ingredient count, but instead I'll just split the difference and call it four-ish.

OK. Who's hungry?

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Ingredients: rolled oats, milk, peanut butter, banana

In a blender, combine 1/4 cup oats, 1 cup milk, and 1–2 tablespoons peanut butter (or other nut butter), and a sliced banana. Blend until smooth.

That’s it, the recipe is over.

Crunchy Granola

Ingredients: rolled oats, vegetable oil, maple syrup, salt (optional: cinnamon)

In a large bowl combine 3 cups oats, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1/3 cup maple syrup. Season with salt and if you’d like, a sprinkle of cinnamon. Stir until well-mixed.

Spread the oats out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, stirring the oats every 10 minutes to ensure even toasting. The granola should be golden and crisp.

Banana Oat Pancakes

Ingredients: rolled oats, milk, egg, banana, salt, oil (optional: cinnamon)

In a blender, combine 3/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup milk, one egg, and a sliced banana.

Season with salt and if you’d like, a sprinkle of cinnamon. Blend until smooth.

Pour the batter onto a hot oiled pan. When the pancake has bubbles and dry edges, flip it. This makes 3 or 4 pancakes.

There you have it! I hope you're inspired to whip up some super simple breakfast, or use these as a base for more elaborate recipes.

Stay tuned for more recipes from my Kitchen Trios series!