Arabian Caravan Breakfast Oatmeal

Cook time:6 min

Description
Inspired by the cargoes of caravans that brought goods from the East and East Africa to the Mediterranean and Europe for thousands of years in antiquity, this recipe brings coffee beans and dates to your breakfast oatmeal.

With the right proportions of ingredients this preparation can deliver an experience somewhat similar to eating a bowl of quality coffee-flavored ice cream, but with negligible fat content while providing a substantial amount of soluble fiber and the other nutritional benefits of oatmeal.

CAUTION: eating an entire coffee bean delivers more caffeine than the same amount of liquid coffee prepared from that bean, so you may want to drink decaf on the mornings when you eat this.

Ingredients

 * one half (½) cup oats (regular oats, NOT quick oats or instant oats)
 * one cup water
 * 6-12 "French vanilla" whole coffee beans or other pleasantly flavored coffee beans (NOT French roast beans, which would be bitter, but French vanilla)
 * 2 teaspoons sugar (or, if for example using a stevia or other sweetener mixture that is four times as sweet as sugar, one half (½) teaspoon of sweetener)
 * dash of salt
 * several ounces of chopped dried dates

Directions

 * 1) Bring water to boil in saucepan, then turn down to simmer.
 * 2) Add the sugar or sweetener and dash of salt to water, add oats and coffee beans, and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
 * 3) Add chopped dates, stir, and simmer for an additional minute.
 * 4) Serve and enjoy.