Popular Porridges
Monthly Archives: June 2016
Lychee Coconut Overnight Oatmeal
Lychees and coconut milk. That’s it. I wanted to add mango so badly, but I knew if I did, I wouldn’t be able to taste the lychee as well. Considering how rare and special it is for me to possess fresh freakin’ lychees, I wasn’t about to cover it up with the (admittedly delicious) flavor of mango. In my opinion, when there’s a fruit you rarely have around, you let that fruit be the goddamn star.
10 Best Recipes for Enjoying Oats in the Summer
I’m pretty stubborn, so I continue to sweat over a stove to cook my daily porridge, which I then take to my bedroom and eat while standing directly in front of the air conditioner. However, I understand that’s not everyone’s cup of chamomile tea. If you don’t want to say goodbye to your filling, fibrous oats, here are my ten favorite recipes that avoid turning on stoves or ovens!
Overnight Recipes
> Ambrosia Overnight Oatmeal
Bright from the citrus and creamy from the coconut! (more…)
Choco-Blueberry Almond Granola
This granola is crunchy, sweet, flavorful, and full of little chocolate clusters. Yes–as the chocolate chips melt, they clump together and form happy, cocoa clusters. You. Are. Welcome.
Citrus Butternut Squash Oatmeal with Orange Marmalade
I love combining citrus with hearty produce like sweet potato or winter squash. It adds so much brightness, making porridges like this acceptable year-round, not just in November.
Muddy Buddies Oatmeal
Or Puppy Chow Oatmeal. Or Monkey Munch Oatmeal. My family called it puppy chow, but I think it’s more widely known as muddy buddies, so that’s what I’ll name it.
Whatever you know it as, it’s the same thing: a “Chex”-type cereal coated in peanut butter and melted chocolate, and then tossed in powdered sugar. How did I turn this into “healthy” oatmeal? I didn’t. I tried, and it didn’t work. This is one of those go-for-it-or-pick-a-different-recipe kind of posts.
Don’t you dare skip the powdered sugar.
Product Review: Matcha Marketplace Oatmeal
I’m really excited to share this new product I had the opportunity to try this week. Considering my slow acceptance of matcha, I was eager to try out these premade oatmeal packets by Matcha Marketplace. My variety pack featured Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry Coconut, and Cranberry Walnut–all with matcha!
How cute is this packaging? I love the clear packets and the intricate layering of all the ingredients. Charming! Speaking of ingredients, when you order the packets online, you can choose either “brown sugar added” or “no sugar added,” giving you an extra layer of control over your purchase. That being said, the product I sampled included brown sugar and I found it to be a very subtle sweetness, so I say go for the sugar! And yes, the oats they use are certified gluten-free.
Blueberry Coconut Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!
Ingredients: Dried Blueberries, Coconut, Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha
Review: This one is my favorite. I think coconut and matcha are meant to be together, so this flavor combo was destined to be my favorite of the three. I thought that the blueberry and coconut flavors enhanced the matcha best out of the three flavors. I topped mine with Earth Balance coconut-peanut spread and loved the combo. I think the richness of coconut makes this not need much sweetness at all.
Cranberry Walnut Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!
Ingredients: Cranberries, Walnuts, Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha
Review: I wasn’t expecting much from this since I have never considered a dried cranberry capable of giving off much flavor, but I was wrong. It tasted like cranberries! And not like they had added fake cranberry flavor–it tasted like it was infused gently by the dried cranberries. That being said, this one wasn’t quite as fruity and flavorful as the blueberry and coconut one, and matcha flavor didn’t come through as much, either. This cranberry and walnut version is great with some maple syrup drizzled on top, or maybe some luscious walnut butter!
Apple Cinnamon Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!
Ingredients: Dried Apples, Cinnamon Chips (contains dairy), Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha
Review: Full disclosure–I couldn’t review this authentically because the cinnamon chips contain nonfat milk powder. However, the packets are dry and easy to pick apart, so I literally just took out all the cinnamon chips and replaced them with a dash of regular cinnamon. I was surprised at the idea of combining cinnamon with matcha, but it actually worked! The cinnamon admittedly masked the matcha, but they didn’t conflict. The dried apples also flavored the oatmeal more than the dried cranberries. For those of you who say you don’t like dried apples, they lose that creepy “squeaky” texture when you cook them and feel like regular apples. This one didn’t need any more sweetener. I topped it with almond butter.
Tips from The Oatmeal Artist:
- We all know that packaged oatmeal is always smaller in volume that homemade oatmeal. You can plump it up with grated zucchini without altering the fabulous flavor of the product (this is what I did)! You could also add applesauce or grated apple to the Apple Cinnamon Matcha Oatmeal.
- It’s easy to add fresh fruit to these products. For example, if you have fresh blueberries, why not throw them on top of your Blueberry Coconut Matcha Oatmeal?
- This would make a great way to introduce yourself to matcha and matcha oatmeal, as opposed to dropping $20 on entire tub of matcha powder before you even know if you like it! Plus, the matcha in these recipes is very subtle, so it’s much less intimidating than ordering a matcha latte. 🙂
- You could probably make this as an overnight oatmeal, but you would want to pick out the nuts and add them right before serving. Letting walnuts soak in liquid overnight gives them a sad and gritty texture, not the satisfying crunch we expect.
- This oatmeal would be delicious flooded with steamed milk! See my London Fog Oatmeal for an example.
Cinnamon Raisin PB2
Does this oatmeal look familiar to you? It should! It’s actually Monday’s Cardamom Butternut Squash Oatmeal.
I wanted to top this oatmeal with cinnamon raisin peanut butter, but I had just finished my jar of it. Then I remembered I could recreate it with PB2.
Cardamom Butternut Squash Oatmeal
Since I had some butternut squash left from making my Savory Citrus Arugula Steel-Cut Oatmeal (I stored the extra squash in the freezer–hooray for saving food!), this seemed like a great combo to try. Most people pair butternut squash with spices like nutmeg and cloves and ginger, a la pumpkin pie, but I went right for the cardamom. 🙂
German Chocolate Cake Oatmeal Bites
I’m extra excited about this recipe. These little energy bites capture the flavors of my German Chocolate Oatmeal with a quarter of the hassle and an eighth of the pecans.
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POSTED IN: chocolate, coconut, dessert lovers, dried fruit, not porridge, nut butter, nuts, oatmeal bites, peanut butter
POSTED IN: chocolate, coconut, dessert lovers, dried fruit, not porridge, nut butter, nuts, oatmeal bites, peanut butter
Cantaloupe Date Oatmeal with Mint-Melon Relish
These oats are ~classy AF~
This relish is like a dessert pico de gallo, with cantaloupe instead of tomato and mint instead of cilantro. The purpose of a relish is to add a strong flavor to a dish, and this does just that. It can guarantee maximum flavor and freshness, and it’s a fun way to spruce up a simpler oatmeal.
