recipe remix: savory custard oats with a fiery nutty kick!

I’m normally not a competitive person, but when recipe challenge is thrown my way, you know I’m down! When I found out about this contest from Marx Food, I was in!

(photo source)

Details on the contest from their website: If we select you for the challenge, we will send you six varieties of dried chilies of varying heat levels for you to use to develop a recipe that is normally eaten with a spoon: soup, stew, ice cream, custard, breakfast cereal … whatever. Get it?  Incorporate a chile into an original recipe that is best eaten with a spoon.  Voters will be asked to choose the most irresistible dish.

I started brainstorming, but kept coming up with ideas that needed a fork and knife. Who knew the eating utensil would be the hardest requirement of this challenge?! After searching the Marx Food website, I found these directions on how to reconstitute dried chili peppers. While it’s recommended to not use the water you soak the dried peppers in, I opted to chance it to rock a recipe remix of one of my all time favorite breakfast foods: my savory spicy oats. So, I present for A Chile & a Spoon Blogger Recipe Contest:

Alicia’s Savory Custard Oats with a Fiery Nutty Kick

(makes one serving)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 chili pepper (your choice depending on how spicy you want it to be – thoughts on this below)
• 2/3 cup oats
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon crunchy peanut butter

METHOD:

Place the water and the pepper in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and let sit for 30 minutes.

Once the pepper has rehydrated, lightly smash the pepper to allow the skin be pierced and the juices and seeds to come out. If desired, remove the loose seeds. As the Marx Foods site states: you can leave the seeds in if you would like, but your chilies will be significantly hotter.

Bring the water back to a boil. Once there, add the salt, then the oats and garlic powder. Stir the mixture well. Don’t be afraid to continue to lightly smash the pepper, but try to keep it whole to easily remove later.

Once the oats are at your preferred consistency, remove the pepper. Crack open the egg into the saucepan.

Mix the egg into the oats, making sure to especially distribute the egg yolk. Allow the egg to cook, about one to two minutes.

Add the cream cheese & peanut butter and stir until well distributed. Serve immediately.

A FEW THOUGHTS ON THIS RECIPE:

I made this recipe with a few different varieties of chili peppers of varying amount of heat.

• Guajillo Chilies (Scoville Heat Level of 2,500-5,000: mild): This was my first attempt as I was scared of blowing away my taste buds. While the amount of heat in the end product was minimal, the pepper added a subtle amount of warmth to overall flavor.
• Japones Chilies (Scoville Heat Level of 15,000-35,000: medium): I made this version with two of the peppers since they were smaller. The amount of spice was increased, but didn’t blow me away.
• Chipotle Chilies (Scoville Heat Level of 10,000-50,000, hot): As I love my spice, the chipotles were my favorite. Nice and spicy, I definitely woke up after a bowl of this variety!
• One day when I’m feeling brave, I’ll try it with the Habanero Chilies!!

You could add the chili pepper back into your oats for an additional mix-in option. I’d suggest finely dicing it while the cheese and PB melted in the hot oats.

The cream cheese and the peanut butter are optional, but highly recommended. The addition of the crunchy peanut butter not only gives it a nice added texture, but the nutty flavor combines well with the spice of the pepper and the creaminess of the the cheese. The cheese also helps to cool the spiciness, especially if you use a hotter chili pepper.

Substitutions are easy: Egg whites instead of eggs, almond or cashew butters instead of peanut, muenster or goat cheeses instead of cream – the possibilities are endless! That’s the great thing about oatmeal – it’s a blank canvas for your culinary mind to be its creative best!

LONG STORY SHORT: I know some of you are still hesitant on the idea of putting an egg in your oatmeal, let alone adding chili peppers for a good kick in the pants. I’ve loved this method of adding spice to my oatmeal, I will never use red chili flakes or pepper jack cheese again. I highly suggest this recipe to get your breakfast on anytime of day!

Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity to test out the chili peppers as a part of a contest sponsored by Marx Foods. The product was sent to me for free. I was not compensated in anyway for this post. My thoughts and opinions are my own.