NEW VIDEO for you guys!! I know that this recipe has pumpkin which you don’t think of in January- but why not?! Its colder, and more blustery than ever here in Seattle and I am CRAVING comfort food. Especially on cold, dark mornings where I am pretty desperate to feel warm and full before I go hit the ground running for the day. And Oatmeal definitely hits all of these points on my morning wish list, and this particular version is special!

We are devoted breakfast eaters in our house and during the week we usually bounce around between a few favorites including smoothies and oatmeal. A few weeks ago, my mom (who is one of the most health-conscious people I know) was telling me about how she has added ground turmeric to her breakfast smoothies for years. I was like, “you have??!!” and she was like “um, yeah, of course, aren’t you?”

Because she has arthritis, she includes it for its potential health benefits, particularly natural anti-inflammatory properties, which research has been building around. Feeding a family with food allergies and a celiac daughter, I am always looking for natural ways to reduce inflammation. I love that there may be functional benefits from a spice that I enjoy anyways!

So that whole chat started my more in depth exploration of turmeric. Turmeric is a root that is a member of the ginger family and has the most gorgeous yellow orange color to it! I have used the dried ground turmeric in the past when making homemade curry and have seen it all over on-line from turmeric lattes to YouTube makeup artists using it in place of bronzer (ha! Maybe I will try this next!) My sister also uses it in place of saffron when making huge batches of paella, but I only recently discovered that it was great for more than it’s brilliant yellow color in cooking. Since my mom got me on my turmeric kick I have been exploring it’s subtle flavor in lots of dishes (coming soon) and enjoying the dimension it gives to lots of autumn’s staple ingredients like pumpkin and squash.

Which is why I am sharing this Spiced Pumpkin Turmeric Oatmeal Bowl with Figs, Pomegranates and Coconut. Not only does the turmeric compliment the pumpkin and coconut, but I love how this nutritious and really tasty breakfast bowl is something you could eat every morning! The other spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger) pair beautifully with the turmeric and the maple syrup gives the perfect amount of sweetness! The coconut, pomegranate and figs are just the crowning glory on this amazing breakfast bowl and the drizzle of pomegranate molasses is an added delicious bonus! Enjoy!

This post was in partnership with McCormick spices in 2016, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.