Oat

I try to make a big batch of steel-cut oats early in the week, ready to reheat for breakfast in the days that follow. This is a favorite autumnal way of topping it, which helps to keep an old standby interesting through all the weeks of the year. Rather than stirring the squash into the full pot of oatmeal, you can add it to individual bowls, treating it as a topping.

This smoothie mimics the flavors of everyone’s favorite muffin.

A healthy take on a classic diner burger

The oat topping channels granola with olive oil, almonds, and maple syrup, while the filling is barely sweetened, instead taking advantage of in-season berries.

This honey-sweetened granola and rooibos-tea chia pudding are both worth making on their own, but combined with yogurt and a swirl of jam, they become a breakfast you’ll want to repeat.

Who says oatmeal needs to be sweet? Prepare the oats as you traditionally would, but instead of adding berries and sweeteners, toss in greens and kimchi, then top with an egg, hemp seeds, and avocado.

A swirl of cinnamon-spiced pear compote runs through these protein-rich pancakes.

My older daughter can put away some of these oatmeal cookie bites like it’s her job. Gymnastics helps her keep active, which means she’s often super hungry, and I love to have these on hand for when she needs a snack.

These super-moist and delicious cookies are made with a secret ingredient: banana!

With an oatmeal cookie-like topping, this easy dessert makes good use of ripe summer peaches. But really, you can make it all year long with apples, pears, or whatever’s in season.

Steel-cut oats have a chewy, hearty texture. Taking the extra step of browning them in butter gives the oatmeal a toasty, rich flavor and helps to keep it from sticking to the pot.

Using salted butter and resting the dough are the secrets to these crowd-pleasing cookies that are equal parts chewy and crunchy.

This moist, chewy loaf is packed with seeds, oats, and whole wheat, which makes it both energy-sustaining and beautiful to look at.

This savory oatmeal is reminiscent of cheesy grits: very creamy and rich with little bits of crisp bacon. An egg on top is terrific if you like your lilies gilded.

These yummy vegan cookies are free of butter, added sugar, and even eggs—the peanut butter and applesauce hold them together. But trust me when I say you won’t miss the sugar. The sweet banana and abundance of chocolate more than make up for it.