November 1

I have been on quite the breakfast food journey over the past couple of years. Until about three years ago, I never ate anything but cold, sugary cereal for breakfast. Everything changed when I tried this oatmeal for the first time and the joy of eating something warm and a little more wholesome and filling in the morning was introduced to me. Even though I still love oatmeal, trying my first acai bowl in Hawaii last March put me on a whole new path. This past summer, eating a cold, refreshing smoothie bowl was almost all that I wanted to eat every morning. Recently though, when I wake up, our apartment is pretty cold and I am craving warm food again. One of the things I love about smoothie bowls is the contrast between super smooth blended fruit and the various crunchy things I sprinkle generously over the top. I am always mixing various seeds, nuts and other bits that I have in my cupboard over the bowl (I also do this with my oatmeal, but the contrast in texture isn’t so obvious). While I find myself firmly back in the oatmeal wagon, I thought that having a smoothie-esque wintery breakfast bowl would also be great to have in my arsenal: this warm applesauce breakfast bowl is it.


A few weeks ago, I was making some apple muffins from Green Kitchen Stories. The muffins call for some applesauce to dollop in the middle of the muffins (genius!). I never have applesauce on hand, so I just peeled some apples and boiled them down. I had some leftovers and ate it straight from the pot. I had forgotten how much I love applesauce. It’s one of those beautiful dishes that is so simple, and yet, so delicious. All you have to do is cook down some apples (a little water helps to get things started) and gently simmer them until they have completely broken down. Adding some spices is optional but makes it easy to change things up. You end up with a deliciously satisfying, naturally sweet treat.

So, when I was thinking of alternative warm breakfast, an applesauce bowl seemed perfect. It’s actually even easier and faster to make than oatmeal! I could make a big batch at the beginning of the week, keep it in the fridge and just heat it up in the morning. Of course I could top it with my normal mixture of random seeds and nuts, but muesli is just as easy to make and is pretty much the same, except it’s all toasted and delicious. You can play with the ratios of the muesli to applesauce too: add just a sprinkle for some extra texture or split the bowl half-half for way more crunch and heft to your bowl. I really think that this is a perfect breakfast, snack or even dessert. I love the applesauce warm or cold but on a cool winter morning, there’s no doubt in my mind that this warm applesauce breakfast bowl will be right at the top of the list of what I want to eat.