Cream Cheese Oatmeal with Dried Fruit

This past weekend, I found myself in the unfortunate situation of being out of fresh fruit. I imagine this is a pretty common problem for some people, so I try to make sure I have a wide variety of oatmeal recipes that can appease the most vacant of pantries!

My mom recently sent me a box full of "fancy" dried fruits. By "fancy," I mean that they are not raisins and bananas. They are the pricier stuff that I can never afford:  pineapple, cherries, and blueberries.

Using what I had, I threw together this recipe. I thought it sounded unimpressive in my head, but I was shocked at how tasty it was! I had to share it.

Cream Cheese Oatmeal with Dried Fruit

Required Ingredients

1/2 cup regular rolled oats

1 cup liquid (water and/or milk of choice)

1 tbsp cream cheese (I used Tofutti brand, nonhydrogenated)
1/4 cup's worth of dried fruit
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon juice (omit if using dairy cream cheese)

pinch of salt

1. Add liquid to a saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese immediately in small pieces (so it dissolves better). 
2. When liquid begins to boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you'd like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.) 
3. Add dried fruits. (I used blueberries, cherries, cranberries, and raisins.)
4. Once more of the liquid has dissolved, add vanilla extract, cinnamon, optional lemon juice, and salt. Stir.
5. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, nuts, sunflower seeds), do so now.
6. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice and any other additional toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, etc.).

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  Thanks!