As I've mentioned in the past, I've been having a love/hate relationship with the Dukan diet recently. I love it because it works and it works quickly. I feel trimmer, less bloated and overall happier when I'm locked into the diet and doing well. And the hate part? Well, just like any diet I imagine, it gets tiresome after a while to always be making my own food, to be armed with tons of it each day at work, and to simply not get whatever I want to eat whenever I want it. There are two things that I struggle with the most: breakfast and dessert. Luckily, I found a remedy to both.
For this month's Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned Teaspoon of Spice. I really love this blog because it features so many fresh and healthy recipes for families and kids. Though Penelope will still eat {almost} whatever I give her, I know that in the near future there will be a revolt and I'll have to start getting very creative. With recipes like cherry oatmeal bars w/yogurt frosting and frozen banana s'mores, I can't wait to get cookin'! For this months recipe, though, I chose their 5 Minute Breakfast Custard since I'm always on the hunt for simple, quick breakfast ideas. On Dukan, it's really hard to branch out beyond eggs and so most mornings, I end up with hardboiled eggs...which are fine, but certainly not an exciting breakfast in my book. Since I wanted to make a recipe that I could Dukanify, I swapped out the oatmeal that the recipe calls for and instead, used the 'Dukan-approved' oat bran.
This recipe is unlike any other I've made before in that it calls for eggs to be mixed into the oats while it's heating on the stove. Once I got past my fear of scrambling the eggs, I got really excited to see how this would come together for a decadent custard. To my surprise, this recipe was actually enjoyed best when cold. I refrigerated my custard right after it was cooked because I had to run out for the day and chose to sample {and photograph!} it later {that's life with a toddler, friends}. For once, I'm so, so happy that my schedule is insanely busy because that's how I found out how awesome this custard is when cold! I topped it with sugar-free syrup and a healthy dusting of cinnamon and dug right in. It was soo good, certainly breakfast-appropriate but could also pass for dessert in a pinch. Even Shaun "Mr. No-Sweets" loved it. Thanks to Deanna and Serena for this great recipe!
Since Dukan makes it pretty clear that one can only have 2 Tbsp of oat bran per day, I made a pretty small batch of this stuff. I haven't figured out the exact measurements of what 2Tbsp of oat bran would be equivalent to in the custard in terms of daily intake, but I will keep you posted once I do.
5-Minute Oat Bran Breakfast Custard
*Adapted from Teaspoon of Spice
1 C oat bran
2 C skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 packets Splenda, or sweetener of your choice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
sugar-free syrup & cinnamon for topping
The night before you want to eat, place oat bran, milk, vanilla, nutmeg and Splenda in a saucepan. Stir, cover and place in refrigerator.
The next morning, remove cover and stir. Place over medium to medium-low heat and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, beat 2 eggs in a bowl with a fork. Slowly drizzle the beaten eggs into the oat mixture and stir constantly with a fork. Cook until the eggs are incorporated and no longer shiny, about 1 minute more.
Serve warm, or let cool, refrigerate and top with syrup and cinnamon.
Enjoy!
What are your favorite breakfasts?