Lemon Poppy Seed Oatcakes for One

After exploring every oatmeal option to use my lemon extract, I had to move on to the next format: pancakes.

I'm so glad I discovered how to make these single-serving pancakes. It's wonderful to have pancakes in the morning without standing over the stove, flipping extra pancakes for half an hour. Also, these oatmeal pancakes treat me without ripping my stomach apart. My body hates Bisquick!

Now, I'll be honest, these pancakes are perfectly tasty but not overly sweet. I included an optional sweetener in the ingredients list for those of you who know you have a sweet tooth. No judgment. :)

Orange, Cherry, and Chocolate Oatmeal

Success! I finally got three posts in a week again. I've been in a two-post slump for a while. It's probably because I've been going through a major Lemon Coconut phase, and that's all I've been making! Today, I finally pulled myself together and made a new recipe.

I know I've told you this before already, but these dried cherries my mom sent me were a game-changer. I find them so much more flavorful and appealing than frozen cherries...or even fresh ones. I love using them in my oatmeal because they actually provide a cherry taste! The frozen cherries I bought from Whole Foods are just not cutting it for me.

Fruit-on-the-Bottom Oatmeal

I'll be honest right from the start: I have never had (nor do I have the desire to try) fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt. First of all, it's not available in nondairy varieties, so that's an obvious deterrent. Moreso, the "fruit" on the bottom has been heavily processed and coated with sickeningly sweet high fructose corn syrup. Um, no.

Like most of my recipes, I've been eager to try this one for a while. It required me to have yogurt on hand, which I usually lack. Whenever I have it, I end up demolishing it before I can even attempt this or the other yogurt-demanding recipes.

50 Toppings to Spruce Up ANY Porridge!

Today we're talking about TOPPINGS! Although I tend to stick to the same toppings (sliced almonds, anyone?), I love jazzing up a classic oatmeal with new and exciting topping ideas. If you're a regular reader, you know that I have posted a few recipes for sauce-like toppings (link below, #50), but this post will dare to go further! Some are a little obvious, and some are a little more out there. Nothing is off the table. :)

50 Topping Ideas for Oatmeal

1. Nuts - whole, sliced, pieces, or crushed
2. Sunflower, pepita, or sesame seeds
3. Ch-ch-ch-chia! (shown below)
   
4. Apple sauce
5. Homemade caramel sauce
6. Lemon (or orange, lime, or grapefruit) zest
7. For savory oats: fresh chives, basil, parsley, cilantro
8. Chocolate-covered raisins or nuts
9. Chocolate-Avocado Mousse
10. Nondairy yogurt (shown below) 
    

Lemon Drop Overnight Oatmeal

My goodness. Ever since I made that Lemon Coconut Oatmeal over spring break, I just CAN'T. STOP. I came back to the Jerz, went to Whole Foods, and somewhat begrudgingly (I'm cheap) passed over the ~$5 for a bottle of lemon extract. But now I can have wonderfully lemony oatmeal ALL THE TIME!

You could obviously top this with coconut and make it Overnight Lemon Coconut Oatmeal, but as is, this recipe is just a straight-up celebration of lemon. Don't skip the banana; I promise it's necessary! The yogurt will make it creamy but is not essential to the recipe.

Savory Greek Oatmeal

I've said it once (or twice) and I'll say it again: I'll take my oats sweet, thank you. Still, I'm eager to keep experimenting with savory oatmeal, and I'm especially eager to bring you new, exciting recipes!

As much as I would love to say Greek food is my favorite, I have to admit that my definition of Greek food is embarassingly shallow. I love Greek salad, and basically any menu item that claims to be "Greek" due to the inclusion of black olives and feta. I even used to think falafel was Greek, but I've since learned better (ahem, it's Middle Eastern. whatever...).

I had plans to make a different (sweet) oatmeal yesterday, but I had some hummus I needed to use up, as well as a jar of black olives that I was eager to open. I was missing some of the "classic Greek ingredients," but I felt like I had enough to make it work. I listed optional ingredients so that you can choose which to include!

Stewed Apple Oatmeal...and my blog's 1st birthday!

Good morning, everybody! One year ago today, I announced on my other blog, Books and Broccoli that I had officially created a blog to host all my oatmeal recipes!

If you look at my recipe archive on this site, they actually go back to December of 2011. These are posts I created on "Books and Broccoli" and transferred over when I created the new site. However, the true birthday of "The Oatmeal Artist" happened on April 15th, 2012. My first post was my beloved Almond Joy Oatmeal, which didn't get posted until the 21st because it was delayed due to my first kidney stone.

For months, I was thrilled by mild success on Pinterest and Finding Vegan. Getting a comment a few times a month was so exciting! Today, a year later, I'm stunned by my blog's audience. Each day, I average between 1,500 - 2,500 page views...even when there's no new post that day! I have 1,700 followers on Pinterest who enthusiastically repin my recipes dozens of times every day. I get at least ten comments a week.

Of course, this is considered pathetic by some blog's standards (I'm no Smitten Kitchen or Chocolate-Covered Katie), but it still saturates me with pride. It would not be a stretch to say this blog is one of my biggest accomplishments and favorite projects. What you guys need to understand is that I am a "starter." I "start" projects, and then abandon them two weeks later. This blog continuously rewards me with satisfaction. Three things motivate me: my desire to eat oatmeal 24/7, my competitive nature (I will be the greatest oatmeal blogger OF ALL TIME!), and your wonderful comments! Compared to the aforementioned bloggers, 10 comments a week may be a small amount, but I treasure each of them as if they were each a $50 bill. The comments are easily my favorite part. Please, my lovely readers, keep commenting!

Well, readers, what's next? I'm happy to let you know that I'm not running out of ideas yet. I still have "The List" on my iPod, and it gets longer every week. I have dozens of ideas for regular stove-top oatmeal, baked oatmeal, toppings for oatmeal, baked goods, overnight oatmeal, and savory oatmeal, and I even have a restaurant review coming your way soon! One year old, still going strong.

Spiced Plum Overnight Oatmeal

My pear obsession has officially moved on to a plum obsession. Plums are great. They're smaller than pears and apples, which makes them perfect for snacking. I despise when I eat an apple for a mid-morning snack and it stuffs me so much that I can't enjoy my lunch! Switching to the humble plum has cured this dilemma.

In oatmeal, plums taste quite similar to apples. However, plums don't brown like apples do, so they are much better suited for overnight recipes! To continue the resemblance to apples, I used classic apple pie spices to complement the plums. As you can see from the picture, I topped the final product with granola!

Oatmeal Recipes for Pecan Lovers!

April 14th (Sunday) is National Pecan Day! I apologize for getting into the food holidays all of a sudden. I've always found food holidays to be extremely superfluous and ridiculously silly, yet here I am celebrating two in the same month (earlier this month, I celebrated PB&J day!)

I use pecans frequently to top my oatmeal, especially in Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal or Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal. However, the following recipes feature pecans as one of the main ingredients, so if you love pecans, try these porridges!

Pineapple Cashew Oatmeal

You know what I love? Thai food. I actually didn't eat much international cuisines in my youth (I was a meat-and-potatoes-only kind of girl), so my experiments have all been recent. I didn't have Thai for the first time until last May. Oddly enough, the first exposure was in the Denver airport! :) I had some sort of rice dish, and I chose the Thai peanut sauce. That moment, I knew I was meant to love Thai, and I went to my first real Thai restaurant shortly after that.

What did I choose for my first real Thai dish? Pineapple fried rice. Oddly enough, I detected a maple-ish taste. I was pretty sure there was no maple syrup involved, but I still decided at that moment that I could replicate the flavors of pineapple fried rice using pineapple, maple syrup, cashews, and raisins in oatmeal.

Lemon Coconut Oatmeal

(Hello from the Minneapolis - St. Paul Airport!)

I still can't believe I hated coconut my entire life. Now, I worship it! Coconut milk, coconut yogurt, coconut butter, coconut shreds...give me any or all and I'll be a happy lady!

Friday morning, I paired it with lemon. The wonderful thing about being at my parents' house is having access to all my mom's extracts. She decorates cakes, so her cupboard hosts nearly a dozen different flavors, from mint to cherry. Normally, I use lemon juice for my oatmeal, but for this recipe, I was able to experiment with lemon extract. OH MY GOSH, I loved the result. It has such a bright flavor, like lemon zest instead of just the juice. In fact, I liked it so much that I had it again this morning. Encore, encore!

Creamy Berry Oatmeal

Hello from South Dakota! I was hoping to throw up tons of new recipes while I was home, but every morning I was just dying to make some of my favorites, like Banana Bread and Grapefruit and Chocolate Banana. I wasn't in the mood to experiment!

But here's a new one for you!

Take your favorite berry (or berries), blend them with some almond milk, and use that fruity puree to cook your oats! Num!

Oatmeal Recipes to Celebrate Nat'l PB&J Day!

Mark your calendars, fellow oatmeal lovers! Tomorrow, April 2, is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. If you're reading this after April 2, don't worry. It's never too late to celebrate with some rich and creamy nut buttery goodness and sweet fruity jam!

I am ashamed to admit it, but j'adore pb&j so much that I actually order them when I see them on menus. Yes, despite (happily) eating a pb&j sandwich almost every day for lunch, I also (happily) pay $7 for one when I go out to restaurants. It's a serious flaw in my logic.

Well, it seems at least one other person agrees with me because April 2 is declared Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Let's pay homage to its greatness! Here are three PB&J recipes to help you celebrate!