Earlier this year I wasn’t feeling well. I had horrible heart burn, stomach pain, and my hair was falling out in shocking amounts (an iron deficiency) – oh, and there was a pandemic lockdown and the kids were home indefinitely. I had to eat really gentle foods, things that were easy on my system and soothing. I ended up prefacing all the recipes I came up with during this time as “healing” – e.g. healing broth, healing curry, etc. This was my “healing oatmeal” – selenium from the brazil nuts, anti-inflammatory components from the turmeric, oats to soothe an angry stomach, along with fibre and nutrients from the dates – but this dish has transcended the hard phase and I love it still. The concept is taken from a drink my mom always made for me postpartum: chopped dates with soaked, peeled, and sliced almonds warmed in a pot of homemade almond milk and honey. It was a drink that you would both sip and eat and offered me so much comfort. The idea of healing drinks and foods was given to me by my parents, but really they play a big part in our culture. This is my interpretation, a riff on classic oatmeal, which I’m passing on to you. PS: This is not an Instagram friendly looking recipe; there isn’t a sundae-like rainbow of toppings – it’s meant to be simple, hearty, and nourishing, and it’s best that way.