Popular Porridges
Category Archives: Stove Top
Apple Beet Oatmeal
One of my favorite parts of meeting new people is how they influence my food preferences. Before I met my former roommate Christin, I never sauteed my vegetables (I always steamed or roasted). Before my current roommate Chilee, I avoided mushrooms at all costs. And of course, there was my former boyfriend from my junior year of college, who inadvertently converted me to a vegetarian (and eventually fully herbie).
Then, there’s Allison. She’s taught me you can never use enough cinnamon. She showed me (before going vegan) that “runny eggs” are nothing to be feared. She introduced me to dozens of foods I had ever tried before, like goat cheese and Indian food and RAMEN (the real stuff). Last but not least, with months of effort, she trained me to appreciate her favorite vegetable: beets.
I tried them once. I tried them twice. I tried them several times. Each time, I found them tolerable at best, but why did they taste like dirt? Why were they always cold and gelatinous?
But then this recipe happened. I had thought of the concept ages ago, but making it would force me to confront my wariness of beets. I’m pleased to report that I’m so glad I finally did it!
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Carrot Ginger Oatmeal
Did you know I used to hate ginger? It’s true. If you look at my early recipes when I used ginger, it would always be a teensy tiny pinch. I can’t remember when my feelings changed, but I have a much higher tolerance for it now.
I much prefer fresh ginger, but now that I’ve acquired a taste for it, I’m fine with ground ginger. I thought half a teaspoon would be too much for this recipe, so I started with just a quarter teaspoon. After a few tastes, I continued adding more bit by bit, until I finally had added half a teaspoon total. Perfect.
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Maple-Bacon Oatmeal with Figs
Where does one find figs in April? Since trying them back in August, I haven’t been able to get them off my mind.
Answer: Whole Foods.
As the title implies, this oatmeal could be created using a variety of fruits. Maple and “bacon” are the key ingredients of this recipe, but I chose to make mine “with figs.” You could make yours “with apple” or “with plum.” Go for it. Be you. 😉
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Spicy Mango Oatmeal
Mango chutney–that’s the inspiration for this recipe.
Believe it or not, the first time I had chutney was in Ireland. I remember asking the waitress what “chutney” was because it came on the sandwich I wanted. She tried to explain it, but it sounded like nothing I had ever heard of, so I requested it on the side.
It was life-changing.
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Banana Plum Oatmeal
I truly pity anyone who doesn’t like bananas in their oatmeal. Now, I can understand not liking bananas plain–even I struggle with that one sometimes, especially if it’s not perfectly overripe. 🙂 But bananas in oatmeal? It yields such creamy, sweet, and luxurious porridge. Also, combined with the soluble fiber of the oats, it makes my digestive system feel sooooooooo great afterwards.
This recipe is similar to Banana Bread Oatmeal–using many of the same ingredients–but it is peppered with small bites of silky red plums. It shows that you can add other fruits to another recipe to vary up the tastes and textures. You don’t always have to invent; sometimes, you can just innovate. 🙂
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Mango Coconut Cardamom Oatmeal
Mangoes are one of my favorite fruits, yet you rarely see one in my kitchen. They’re so expensive! I used to buy frozen mango, but for some reason I stopped doing that… (I know what I’m adding to my grocery list this week!!)
My local produce market has reasonably priced produce, especially for New York. I noticed that their mangoes were one for a dollar, which is how much I pay for my oranges, too. Since I buy an orange for every day of the week, I could not justify NOT buying a mango at that price! ^_^
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Shamrock Oatmeal
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up! I have mixed feelings for St. Patrick’s Day. In a way, I adore it. It reminds me of my beloved Ireland, where I studied abroad during college. On the other hand, the way Americans celebrate it is almost offensive to me. Yes, even in Ireland, binge-eating and drinking is the tradition, but in America, all of it is surrounded by an absurd mockery of the culture. TV and radio ads are taken over by obnoxious fake Irish accents, ridiculous looking leprechauns are plastered everywhere, and everything is dyed fluorescent green. Nooooo. . .
Last year, I rejected that by making Irish Soda Bread Baked Oatmeal, which turned out surprisingly well (to this day I’m shocked it actually turned out). This year, I decided to embrace the American absurdity and make a Shamrock Oatmeal. Why not, right? Unlike McDonald’s, my porridge contains no dairy and no food coloring. Instead, it’s extraordinarily rich in nutrients (but still packed with flavor).
What’s the secret? Spinach.
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Carrot Cranberry Oatmeal
Where, oh where, have all my carrot recipes been? Despite my deep love for carrots (and zucchini!) in oatmeal, my blog has been lacking in those recipes lately. Why? No grater. :(Well, problem solved: I finally own a grater. Expect carrot and zucchini recipes in the future. 🙂
I recently realized I have some cranberry goodies left from the holiday season. My roommate had a bag of fresh cranberries (which she said I was welcome to), and I had half a jar of Trader Joe’s cranberry sauce. Perfect!
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Plum Almond Oatmeal
If you liked my Pear Almond Baked Oatmeal, methinks you’ll like this. It has a similar profile, but it’s better because it’s pear-less and made on the stove.
You’ve probably noticed a lack of baked recipes lately (except for the occasional brownie, of course). I much prefer stove-top recipes because they’re easier to control and significantly faster. Additionally, I make all my oatmeal for the week on Saturday and Sunday, and then I reheat them throughout the week. I don’t own a microwave (I know, right?), so I heat the oatmeal on the stove while I’m doing my hair and makeup at 4:45 am. It’s ridiculously difficult to reheat a baked oatmeal on the stove, so it rarely happens these days.
Anyway, the moral of the story is that plums are better than pears, stove-top is better than baked, and almond extract is wonderful. Or something like that.
Plum Almond Oatmeal
What you'll need:
- 1 plum
- 1 cup milk of choice, or water
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- pinch of salt
How to make it:
- Prep your plum by dicing it into small cubes.
- Bring milk (I use 1/2 c almond milk and 1/2 c water) to a boil, add plum cubes and oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you'd like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
- Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add almond extract and salt. Stir.
- When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice and any other additional toppings (sliced almonds, shredded coconut, nuts, etc.).
Broccoli Cheddar Oatmeal
Any Happy Herbivore fans out there? It’s the only cookbook I’ve spent money on (why buy cookbooks when any recipe you could dream of is online already?), so I guess you could say I’m an avid supporter.
I had already tried a few recipes and was a proud Herbie, but then I tried the mac and cheese, and that sealed the deal. To be truthful, this isn’t a dead-ringer for cow’s milk cheddar, but I’m so obsessed with it and confidently claim that it’s better. If you’re a nutritional yeast fan, you’ll likely love this cheesy sauce.
Considering I already loved the cheese sauce, I knew this oatmeal would be fantastic. And yeah, it was. Creamy, cheesy, and overflowing with giant, emerald florets.
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