Popular Porridges
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Faux-reo Cookie PB2
Perhaps you’ve seen the cookies ‘n’ creme cookie butter at Trader Joe’s. Or the many recipes around the interwebz for a similar product. Or maybe you just eat an entire package of Oreos at once like Oreos.
It doesn’t take a genius to recognize none of these options are particularly healthy. Luckily, I have a much healthier alternative for you. I didn’t set out to make it, but I accidentally “discovered” it one morning as I prepared my daily PB2.
You see, in my pre-vegan days, I made homemade Oreos…not once, but twice. That’s the kind of person I am. (They do have vegan recipes out there, but I used this one because Smitten Kitchen is a queen.) (more…)
Sweet Potato and Chocolate PB2 Oatmeal
Okay, so I might be a little out of season with this one. The truth is, I love sweet potato. 365 days a year. My heart knows no boundaries with food. Sure, I may crave certain foods a little more during certain seasons, but sometimes I want peaches in February or sweet potatoes in April.
Yellow Cake Baked Oatmeal with Chocolate PB2 Frosting
Did you know that they only real difference between yellow cake and a regular “white” cake is just the use of egg yolks? My mom is a cake decorator (in addition to her full-time job as my best friend an accountant), so I’ve seen her make many a white cake. I remember her telling me once that the recipe used only egg whites because the yolk would turn the cake yellow…so I guess it makes sense that a yellow cake uses the whole egg.
Thus, when I decided I wanted to make this recipe, it left me puzzled. How would I recreate it without eggs (not vegan) or food coloring (too many chemicals)? And how could I make it without it tasting like bananas?
PB2 Oatcakes + 3 Easy PB2 Hacks
The affection I have for PB2 is real. I feel like I owe it something.
For many years, my life was a cycle of toomuchpeanutbutterinonesitting –> stomachachefordays –> that’sitI’mquittingpeanutbutterforever –> omgImissitsomuch –> Icanhavejustalittlebit –> nopeIwannaeatthewholejar –> repeat.
I tried many tricks to overcome this addiction. I would make CCK’s banana butter, or Happy Herbivore’s nutty spread, or Oh She Glows’ ABU (made with peanut butter), but ultimately, all of those tricks required me to buy peanut butter. None of the recipes require you to use a full jar of peanut butter at once, which meant I would have a half a jar of undiluted peanut butter calling my name.
The thing about PB2 is that the fat is taken out. Most people would say–and I would agree–that it is flawed thinking that PB2 is “healthier” because the fat is taken out. However, the fat in peanut butter is what makes it so good. So addicting. So easy to enjoy by the spoonful (after spoonful after spoonful after spoonful) until the jar is empty and you feel sick. The high concentration of fat caught me in The Pleasure Trap, and I couldn’t escape it. I had daily stomach aches from my inability to put down the spoon. Although I make light of my peanut butter addiction on this blog, in reality it brought me much grief and pain on a daily basis.
Not only does PB2 allow me to enjoy peanut butter flavor without igniting my pleasure-seeking desires, but I have to actually make it each time I want it. When I put PB2 in my oatmeal, I have to physically mix up a serving of it. I can’t just go back for another spoonful. I have to make more. It’s not that hard, and I’ve done it before, but there’s a huge difference between opening up the jar for another (and another, and another, and another, and another) spoonful of peanut butter, and stirring up one more serving of PB2 and realizing you don’t actually want/need any more than that.
Because I’m sure people will comment on it, I want to clarify that removing peanut butter from my diet required me to add fat and calories to other parts of my day. Although my peanut butter has been replaced with PB2, I still top my oatmeal with tons of nuts (now more than I used to). I still eat a ton of avocado. Et cetera.
Please do not use PB2 as a low-fat or low-calorie substitute if you have a healthy relationship with peanut butter. I didn’t; that’s why I needed a change. Eating food in its natural form is always the best option. (But I recommend trying PB2 either way since you can use it for cool tricks like on popcorn or in place of flour when baking.)
As a full-fledged PB2 lover, here are three hacks I’ve learned:
- Add extra liquid to make a PB2 sauce. It’s perfect for pancakes. Sometimes I even mix in maple syrup for a PB2 version of my Maple-Nut Sauce.
- Add a drop of almond extract for “AB2.” While we wait for the almond version of PB2, this is the best we can do. Is it a spot-on replica of almond butter? Obviously not. However, since I can’t be trusted with a jar of almond butter (Exhibit A), I found this pretty darn satisfying. Note that I said a drop. It does not take much.
- Mix in coconut butter. I found out–after purchasing a jar–that I do not enjoy store-bought coconut butter. It’s very greasy and unpleasant–more like oil instead of butter. Thus, I keep my jar of coconut butter in the fridge, where it hardens. When I make my PB2, I scrape out about a 1/8 tsp of coconut butter and mix it into my PB2. The result is fabulous–not only do you get a bit of the fat back, but you get some lovely coconut flavor, too. 🙂
Anyway. THESE PANCAKES. 🙂
PB2 Oatcakes
What you'll need:
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1/2 cup rolled or quick oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
- 1/4 cup PB2
- 1/2 cup's worth of zucchini, preferably peeled
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- rounded 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
How to make it:
- Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl or cup and let sit for ten minutes.
- Put all pancake ingredients (including milk-vinegar mixture) in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add extra liquid if necessary (just a tsp or so at a time). It should have the consistency of paint. 🙂
- Heat a griddle pan over medium low heat.
- When griddle pan is ready, spray with nonstick cooking spray (it only needs a little bit!), and use a large spoon or a small scoop to pour pancakes onto the griddle. I made small pancakes, so I used a large soup spoon, and it worked perfectly. Generally, don't go any bigger than 1/4 a cup, but I find that too big still.
- When bubbles have formed at the top of the pancake, flip over and cook for another minute. Repeat until all the batter has been used!
- Serve with syrup (I recommend fruity syrups) or fresh fruit. I used strawberry syrup and pomegranate arils.
Blueberry PB2 Overnight Oatmeal
When it comes to peanut butter and PB2, there are two camps: those of us who like to stir it into our oatmeal, and those of us who like to keep it in a glob at the top of our oatmeal. I happen to belong to the latter group.
However, I know not everyone does. I have often told myself that I need to include recipes for the Stirrers, but I always resisted. Today is the big day that I put others’ needs before my own. 😀
Using PB2 is an easy way to add peanut butter flavor to your entire porridge. And since it’s less decadent that actual peanut butter, you could always add a glob of PB2 at the top, too. Which is exactly what I did. ^_^ #notsorry
How to Use PB2 + Applesauce PB2 Overnight Oatmeal
I recently asked you all how you like to use PB2 in your oatmeal. Not surprisingly, many of you have similar ideas as mine! I’ll share some of your ideas, and I’ll end with a new recipe using PB2 at the end.
Community Round-Up! How do you use PB2 in oatmeal?
Hi everyone! I was putting together a round-up of ideas for using PB2 (or similar brands) with oatmeal. I was halfway through when I realized that I could put together even more ideas with your help.
Comment below! How do you use PB2 in or with your oatmeal?
Oatmeal Enthusiasts: Meet Cathy G.!
Hey, oatmeal lovers. I know, I’ve been absent a few weeks. As always, I blame it on lots of cloudy days and an inadequate camera. Thankfully, today I can introduce you to Cathy, whom you recognize thanks to her guest recipes, Cherry Chili Brownie Baked Oatmeal, Vegan Scrambled Eggs Oatmeal, and Cinnamon-Tahini Icing. I can’t believe she hasn’t been an Enthusiast yet, but that problem is solved today!
Hi!
My name is Cathy (well, it’s Kasia in reality but on the Internet I’m known as @cathyhope9).
Lauren has honored me with the title of Oatmeal Enthusiast of May 2017 and I’m proud to be included in such a noble group of oatmeal lovers!
I’m a 22-year-old Chemistry student from Poland. I discovered oatmeal about three years ago and I quickly got addicted to it! Now I need my cup of oats daily!
I never had oatmeal for breakfast until I started college. I got interested in working out, eating clean and being fit. I learned about overnight oats, and I made them only with Greek yoghurt and banana. My classes started early, so having ready-to-eat breakfast in the fridge was perfect solution. On weekends I made stove-top oatmeal with apples (and with water! I was vegetarian but I hated cow’s milk). I discovered that when I don’t eat yoghurt, my face is clearer so I cut down on dairy. I found out about veganism and made slow transition to plant-based lifestyle. (My mom threatened me that she will stop cooking for me if I ever go vegan, but she still cooks for me.) I’ve never had vegan overnight oats! (And I need to change that soon!)
My favourite type of oatmeal is definitely baked oatmeal. I can have it only when I’m at home (because we don’t have an oven in dorm) and it makes it very special breakfast I impatiently look forward to. I learned about baked oatmeal from Jasmin (@jasmin.clean.eat) whom I “met” on fitness app. She shared a recipe with me and I fell in love with baked oatmeal from the first bite 😉
I don’t remember how I found The Oatmeal Artist blog or how or who recommended me it but I’ve been a faithful reader since then. I learned so many useful tricks from Lauren, like segmenting orange, mixing PB2 with fork…. I read about soaking oats before cooking on the blog. Lauren’s imagination and creativity has no limits and I have never been disappointed in any of her recipes.
I eat oatmeal everyday, before classes, before working out, I ate oatmeal before running my first half marathon! When I can’t eat oatmeal, like when I don’t have access to kitchen, when I’m travelling, I start missing my oats very quickly. Need proof that I’m an oatmeal lover? Some time ago I bought new shoes and a 2-kilogram bag of oats on sale and guess what made me more excited? Of course oats!
Day 1
It was Palm Sunday (that’s why I pictured my palm with my oatmeal) and for breakfast I had oatmeal with the best plant based milk I’ve ever had: rice-coconut milk (It was so delicious that I drank it straight from the carton and when I used it for oatmeal, I didn’t add any spices because I didn’t want to mask its flavour) and grapes.
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Brownie Baked Oatmeal – Big Batch!
The benefit of an entire 8×8 pan of Brownie Baked Oatmeal is that it is a definite crowd-pleaser. Who wouldn’t want to eat oatmeal if it tasted like a brownie? If you find yourself needing to make breakfast for a group of friends or your family, this one is a safe bet.
Best of 2016
See also: Best of 2012 / Best of 2013 / Best of 2014 / Best of 2015
In many ways, 2016 was a pretty tough year. I don’t think I need to elaborate on that as we all seem to be on the same page about this dumb excuse of a year. 🙂 But in other ways, this year was big for me. I really found my passion in school–bilingual education–and my mental health improved by a billion. I feel almost as balanced and stable as I did pre-teaching, just way more jaded. But I can deal with that. I got not just one but two jobs. My nephew can finally say my name and recognize me. My boyfriend brings a lot of joy and adventure into my life. The initial work of my thesis has gotten a lot of praise. I even learned a good chunk of Spanish!
Oatmeal-wise, this year has challenged me as I have fallen in love with experimenting with unique ingredients and sophisticated flavor combinations, yet I also want to keep my recipes easy, quick, and inviting. I wish all my recipes could be made with five ingredients, and I don’t want to scare anyone off with my persimmons. 🙂
As usual, I have assembled the top recipes from the year for us to reminisce together!
1. Fan Favorite Recipe
These German Chocolate Cake Oatmeal Bites, much to my surprise, received more views than all other recipes from 2016. I did not see that coming!
