Chocolate Chili Cherry Oatmeal

As a herbivore, I have to be selective about my chocolate obsession. Luckily, I have a strong preference for dark chocolate (my motto is “higher than 70% or GTFO”), and many brands of dark chocolate are accidentally vegan. For example, Lindt’s dark chocolate (75% and higher) are all dairy-free.

Chocolate Chili Cherry Oatmeal

However, if you want a different variety, such as one with almonds or espresso beans, you’re often out of luck. That’s why I love the Chocolove brand. In addition to their sustainability and social responsibility efforts, they offer several unique dark chocolate varieties that are completely dairy-free!

My favorite of these is–you guessed it–Chilies & Cherries & Dark Chocolate bar. Obviously this bar uses dried cherries, but since it’s prime cherry season, I used the real deal for this oatmeal.

Chocolate Chili Cherry Oatmeal - The Oatmeal Artist #vegan Chocolate Chili Cherry Oatmeal - The Oatmeal Artist #oatmealartist

In honor of Chocolove, I topped my oatmeal with a little bit of their 65% bar instead of just using chocolate chips. Heavenly!

Have you noticed an improvement in my photos the past couple of weeks? Since I can’t afford a new camera (alas), I finally purchased something I could afford: a reflector. Having a tiny collapsable reflector has made a huge difference in my photos, despite the fact that my apartment has poor lighting and there are no great spots for me to take a quality shot.

Chocolate Chili Cherry Oatmeal #vegan #oatmealartist #chocolove

Chocolate Chili Cherry Oatmeal - The Oatmeal Artist

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Chocolate Chili Cherry Oatmeal

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: serves 1

What you'll need:

  • 3/4 cup milk of choice
  • 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
  • 1-2 tsp maple syrup (optional)
  • 1/2 - 1 cup halved and pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 1 heaping tbsp cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp finely diced chipotle or poblano pepper* (or a mix of both)
  • chocolate chips for topping (optional)

How to make it:

  1. Bring milk and water to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you’d like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
  2. Add cherries immediately. This will help flavor and sweeten the oatmeal as it's cooking.
  3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add optional maple syrup, vanilla bean paste (or extract), cocoa powder, and salt. Stir. Add additional sweetener if you think it's necessary.
  4. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, add the diced pepper and stir.
  5. Transfer to a bowl. Top with optional chocolate, another splash of your milk of choice, more cherries, and any other additional toppings (chocolate PB2, nuts, fruit, etc.)

Just an FYI:

*Chipotle peppers are spicier than poblano (AKA ancho) peppers. Chocolove uses a mixture of both. You could also cheat and use dried chipotle peppers, chipotle powder, crushed red pepper, or chipotle tabasco sauce.

https://www.theoatmealartist.com/chocolate-chili-cherry-oatmeal/

Chocolate Chili Cherry Oatmeal by The Oatmeal Artist #vegan

About Lauren Smith

Lauren is a herbivore, Slytherin, and connoisseur of oats. You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.

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