Tag Archives: dried fruit

Apricot Almond Butter Bites

Gasp! Where have I been??

I’ve been proud of not taking any blogging breaks since I ran the heck away from quit teaching, but last week got the better of me! You know what really did it? The weather sucked (rain, rain, and more rain), which means I have no natural lighting for pictures. On the few days of semi-sunshine, I was too lazy to dirty some dishes and take a few pictures. It’s something I fight on a regular basis, but last week, the laziness won.

Apricot Almond Butter Bites #OatmealArtist #Vegan

Lately I have found myself heading out the door with no packable snacks. Yes, I have dried fruit, but sometimes I get sick of just eating those every day, and I wanted something a little more interesting. Preferably something nutty. Having some dried apricots and almond butter to use up, I immediately set off to make an “energy ball” recipe that would be reminiscent of my beloved Peach & Almond Butter Oatmeal. (more…)


Sweet Potato, Almond Butter, and Raisin Oatmeal

When I first started publishing oatmeal recipes, I used raisins in almost everything. They were cheap and predictable, making them an easy addition to nearly everything I tried: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Banana Bread Oatmeal, Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal, Zucchini Bread Oatmeal, Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal, etc. Raisins all around!

Sweet Potato, Raisin, and Almond Butter Oatmeal (2)

I realized recently that I had kind of forgotten about them. My carton of them had been pushed to the back of my cupboard, and I rarely dragged them out. Something about today’s recipe made me recall these good ol’ raisin days, and I decided to bring them back into my life. 🙂
(more…)


Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal with Raisin-Walnut Cream Cheese

This post is all about bagels. And oatmeal.

Cinnamon-Raisin Baked Oatmeal with Raisin-Walnut Tofu Cream Cheese from The Oatmeal Artist

But mostly bagels.

One year ago, Allison and I set out on a challenge: to try the top bagel shops in New York City. We found a list of the top 16 bagel shops and vowed to try each of them before the year was over. (Sixteen places may not sound like a lot to do in one year, but if you’ve seen a NY-style bagel before, you’ll know that it’s a rather gluttonous experience to be enjoyed in moderation…) (more…)


Oatmeal Recipes for Cranberry Lovers!

When I tried to think of an appropriate round-up for this month, I struggled. My mind is so autumn-themed that it’s hard to think beyond that. Pumpkin? Overdone. Apple? Boring. That’s when I thought of cranberries. Truthfully, I’ve only used dried cranberries, but I hope to change that soon. I’d like to experiment with fresh cranberries in my oats!

Until then, here are five oatmeal recipes that include dried cranberries.

And don’t forget…you can top
your oatmeal with cranberry sauce!
    **You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!

    Pomegranate Muesli

    I am all about the muesli lately. It all happened when I discovered that pomegranate seeds make the best friggin’ muesli ever. Why?! Because they can make the bulk of your muesli instead of nuts and dried fruit, which are wonderful and nutrient-dense, but they’re also crazy filling and dried fruit is a ton of sugar. So using pomegranates? Brilliant.

    pomegranate-muesli-3

    Pomegranates are crunchy like a nut or seed, but sweet like dried fruit. They have the added bonus of being absolutely beautiful to look at.
    (more…)


    Pumpkin, Apple, and Cranberry Oatmeal

    Pumpkin. How can I make more pumpkin recipes? What else can be done with pumpkin? These are the questions I ask myself twice a day.What spices and herbs go well with pumpkin? What fruits pair well with pumpkin? What different forms of oatmeal have I not tried with pumpkin?!

    Pumpkin, Apple, and Cranberry Oatmeal

    The result of this never-ending search is today’s recipe. Seeing how well apples paired with sweet potatoes, I knew they’d be smashing with pumpkin. Of course, cranberries are my go-to dried fruit for autumn recipes, so I threw those in as well. Aaaand bam, cue the world’s coziest breakfast.
    (more…)


    Choco-Cherry Cashew Oatmeal

    KIND bars cost too much. Let’s all agree on that. Certainly, they are a high-quality product and deserve to cost as much as they do. However, this girl will not be buying them on the regular. This girl receives a living stipend (not an actual salary) and spends too much money at Banana Republic.

    0072

    However, I splurge on one or two bars from time to time. In August, when I was technically homeless for a week, was massively in debt, and had no functioning kitchen to cook in, I survived on bananas, hummus, and whole wheat naan. To make my life seem less pathetic, I also treated myself to one single KIND bar.

    I remember unwrapping it for a mid-morning snack during my staff training session. For a moment, my boss’s voice faded off as my attention focused on the brilliance happening in my mouth. Dark chocolate, sweet cherries, and salty cashews worked harmoniously and created a chewy, crunchy, decadent snack bar.
    (more…)


    Autumn Muesli

    I don’t know what it is about muesli lately, but I am all about it. I think it’s because I’ve been setting my electric blanket too high at night, and when I wake up in the morning, all I want is cold muesli.

    011

    This muesli essentially just celebrates autumn. Okay, so maybe pumpkin didn’t make it in (don’t worry, that’s coming!), BUT there are pepitas, which are pumpkin seeds, so . . . I guess that counts! I also used dried apples, raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, and pecan pieces. DIVINE.

    My first bites were certainly pleasant, but I felt that something was missing. It was almost too light and bright and sunshiny. It needed more autumn. I took a risk and added a dash of cinnamon, and wow, it made all the difference!
    (more…)


    Fig and Banana Muesli

    I know hundreds of people in my own neighborhood live without a roof over their head or food to eat. They can barely afford a loaf of bread, let alone figs. Still, I have to say that not having gas really sucks. Cold showers suck. Not having a functional stove sucks. Not having an oven that heats up sucks.

    fig-and-banana-muesli-5-

    Luckily, I’ve had dozens of recipes from July to post, but those are running out. I’m eager to “stay ahead” of the posts. I don’t like feeling pressure to slap a post together just for the sake of staying on schedule.  Moreover, I just have to admit that eating overnight oatmeal cold is just not my thing.

    Oh yeah, did I mention I don’t have a microwave either?!

    (more…)


    Oatmeal Risotto [Guest Post]

    If you remember from Thursday’s post, Haley and I had a chance encounter a few weeks ago, and we wanted to swap blogs and share our stories. Read Haley’s side of the story below, and make sure to visit her blog and become a fan on Facebook!

    Hi! I’m Haley (from Cheap RecipeBlog) and I want to tell you a funny story about how I “met” Lauren.

    A few weeks ago, I was visiting my parents in southwest Minnesota. One day, I trekked over to Brookings, South Dakota, to meet an old college friend for coffee. We were meeting at Cottonwood Coffee on main street. Here’s a timeline of events:

    9:15 a.m.: Feeling hungry for breakfast, I ordered a bowl of baked oatmeal.
    9:20 a.m.: Once I started eating, I realized that this was no ordinary baked oatmeal. It was deliciously warm, hearty, very slightly sweet — and topped with steamed milk. It was absolutely delicious. One of the best and most unique bowls of oatmeal I’d ever eaten.
    1:25 p.m.: Once I got home, I immediately Googled “baked oatmeal with steamed milk” to see what I could find.
    1:27 p.m.: I clicked on Google’s second result, after noticing a recipe for “flooded oatmeal” on a cleverly-named website called “The Oatmeal Artist.”
    1:30 p.m.: Once I got to the page, I immediately recognized the bowl in the top photo. It was the same oatmeal I had eaten this morning! I left the following comment:

    haleyblog

    4:30 p.m.: I checked back on The Oatmeal Artist to see if she had responded. This is what I found:

    haleyblogb

    She had been there! The Oatmeal Artist! And she had seen me eating oatmeal. After a bit of correspondence, I realized that I had seen her as well. She was the girl across the room wearing a fabulous turquoise dress.

    If this chance encounter doesn’t seem crazily weird to you, hear me out: I live in St. Paul, Minnesota. I never (ever) eat breakfast on a weekday morning in Brookings, South Dakota. Lauren lives in New York City. Sure, we both have roots in rural Minnesota/South Dakota, but it’s still mighty weird that our paths would cross in such a way.

    Naturally, we couldn’t just let this story go untold. Which is why we’re teaming up and swapping guest blog posts!

    About the Recipe

    Coming up with a new oatmeal recipe to feature on Lauren’s blog was – well – not an easy task. I mean, what hasn’t this girl already covered? This is the most comprehensive oatmeal recipe site I’ve ever seen.

    So I’ve done what any self-respecting oatmeal-lover-but-not-The-Oatmeal-Artist would do: Post someone else’s recipe!

    1000522_10151781542509534_1345597214_n

    I recently bought a fabulous new cookbook: Try This At Home by Richard Blais of Top Chef fame. This cookbook is chock-full of seriously creative recipes like Vidalia onion rings with beer mustard, Greek yogurt with tandoori honey and freeze-dried fruit, and the recipe that I’m featuring today: Oatmeal risotto. (more…)