Cranberry Eggnog Oatmeal

Ready for a delicious recipe that takes just four ingredients? The key is the store-bought eggnog, which does most of the work. It’s sweetened and flavorful and creamy, so the rest of the oatmeal just comes together, no problem.

What You’ll Need: 

• 3/4 cup vegan eggnog (I used Whole Foods 365 brand)*
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup fresh cranberries

How to Make It: 

1. Bring eggnog to a boil, add oats and chia seeds, and reduce heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally.
2. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, fold in cranberries. Stir occasionally.
3. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Enjoy as is, or top with whatever: nut butter, chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, etc.

FYI: 

* You can make this with rolled or quick oats by increasing the liquid to 1 cup and the oats to 1/2 cup.

I’ve slowly, gradually started to appreciate eggnog. I have an annual tradition of buying the latest brand of vegan eggnog, and then feeling “meh” about it. The problem is that I don’t love nutmeg, and that’s the main flavor of eggnog (not eggs, as the name suggests).

I had a breakthrough this year. My partner and I bought this almond milk eggnog from Whole Foods. I warmed it up using my milk frother, which made it warm, foamy, and velvety. Then, of course, we added a shot of spiced bourbon from a local distillery. 😛 

Those eggnog drinks changed the game for me, and I finally started appreciating the eggnoginess. When I only had a tiny bit of eggnog in the carton left (not enough for two more drinks), I knew I had to use it for oatmeal.

I did something a little different with this recipe. It’s rare that I don’t have a grated or mashed fruit in the oatmeal, but it didn’t happen with this dish. I made up for that by adding a hearty spoonful of chia seeds. 

That said, feel free to add some grated zucchini if you just gotta have that extra volume + nutrition boost.

I have to say, this was really delicious. And it took just four ingredients. Of course, I went crazy with the toppings, but the oatmeal itself was *only* four ingredients. I didn’t even need salt, thanks to the store-bought eggnog, which has sugar and salt to spare. 😛 

And if you want more eggnog recipes, I’ve got ’em:

• Eggnog Oatmeal with Apple-Cranberry-Chestnut Compote
• Banana Eggnog Oatmeal
• Plain Ol’ Eggnog Oatmeal

Confession: WordPress changed up its settings, and it’s kind of a nightmare to work with. If formatting looks weird to you, it’s because I can’t figure out how to get things to look they way I want with these new settings. Hopefully I’ll get used to it. However, for the time being, it’s garbage. This post took me four times as long as usual to compose because it’s so clunky. 

But the main point of this rant is that my recipe widget doesn’t work on this goddamn thing. I almost gave up and delayed sharing the new recipe, but ultimately, I decided to just list it here in plain format. So if you think it looks hella funky, you’re right! I hope to figure out a real solution soon.