Oatmeal Enthusiasts: Meet Dewi!

I met Dewi, this month's Oatmeal Enthusiast, in the wonderful world of Twitter. A supporter of my blog, he also has his own blog, The Boy Can Cook, where he shares some of his own oatmeal recipes. He's an avid fan of overnight oats, and I've been so appreciative of his endless raving toward my overnight recipes on Twitter!

Hello! I'm Dewi, I'm a law student from Wales and creator of The Boy Can Cook (boycancook.wordpress.com). I'm a huge lover of food and cooking, and more recently, a certified oatmeal enthusiast. Made official this week by Lauren here on The Oatmeal Artist.

I've always liked porridge (we call it porridge over on this side of the pond) and the very first piece I wrote for my (still relatively new) blog was my guide to making perfect porridge. I love how such a modest, cheap ingredient makes such a delicious breakfast. When I started cooking oats my mother actually told me the method that her grandfather used when making porridge for her. So that's the way I make them now and how I'll always make them, I imagine. My recent mini-renaissance with oats has got my family eating them more often, too, so it's good to know that they are starting their day with lovely, wholesome porridge.

Although a lover of oats, I don't think, until recently anyway, that I could have legitimately been called an enthusiast, as such. I enjoyed the staple breakfast ingredient immensely, but I wasn't what you would call adventurous or imaginative with my oats. I enjoyed the traditional porridge, seasoned with salt and topped with honey, milk and maybe even some jam, if I was feeling particularly wild. That was until I stumbled across The Oatmeal Artist. Not only was I introduced to interesting and delicious flavour combinations to use in porridge (chocolate and peanut butter oats? *drools*) but also exciting ways of preparing oats - deviating from the usual on-the-hob method - such as baked oatmeal and (my favourite method) overnight refrigerator oats. 

Since discovering all of the different recipes here on Lauren's blog, I've been having oatmeal far more often than before. I eat porridge (in some form) pretty much every morning. But this isn't at all tedious as I've been experimenting with my own flavours and I've even brought oats to the fore of my own blog. It's great to have such a delicious breakfast, made even more enjoyable knowing just how healthy these little oats are. I run and use the gym a few times a week, and find that porridge is a great pre or post workout meal.

When Lauren asked if I would like to be featured as this month's oatmeal enthusiast I was more than happy to get involved! So last week, I photographed my porridge each morning, from Monday to Friday.

This is what I chose to make:

Monday: Chocolate and banana overnight oats with bittersweet chocolate chips

This is one of Lauren's recipes and it's my absolute favourite. I tend to add a teaspoon of crunchy peanut butter to the mix too, just because I love the stuff. I had these oats because, being a Monday morning, I wanted to have a delicious and effortless breakfast. I'm telling you, knowing that there's a delicious jar of chocolatey porridge waiting for me in the fridge really takes the sting out of an early wake-up at the start of a new week.

Tuesday: Banana, vanilla, blueberry and honey overnight oats

With this one, I like to add a handful of blueberries to the jar the night before, and another handful in the morning. The ones that have been in the jar overnight soften as their natural sweetness flavours the porridge, and this contrasts wonderfully with the fresh crunchy berries. And how beautiful does this little bowl of goodness look?

Wednesday: Apple and cinnamon porridge

Warming, cosy and delicious. I adore this combination. I grated in most of the apple, used a generous amount of cinnamon, and sliced the remaining fruit for a fresh, crunchy topping.

Thursday: Banana bread porridge

Another recipe lifted from The Oatmeal Artist. I have this combination often. Vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg make these oats feel like a sweet desert. I mashed up about two thirds of a banana and sliced the rest as a topping, and i drizzled over some lovely maple syrup. What a brilliant way to start the day! Amazing with a pot of fresh coffee.

Friday: Baked PB&J porridge

I wanted to end the week with a breakfast which felt more indulgent, so I made baked oatmeal with peanut butter and homemade strawberry jam! I don't have baked oatmeal very often, but I had the time to make it on Friday morning. And, man, did I enjoy it. Warm from the oven, crisp on the top and gooey in the middle. Of course, everyone knows PB & J is a classic flavour combination, and it's at it's best in this baked oatmeal. A great way to end the week.

So, thanks to The Oatmeal Artist for featuring me as this month's oatmeal enthusiast and for inspiring me to get creative with my porridge, the pauper's breakfast which is fit for a king.

You can read more about me, my love of food and see my recipes (may contain oats) at boycancook.wordpress.com.

If you're interested in becoming my next Oatmeal Enthusiast, be sure to show your enthusiasm by tagging your oatmeal pictures with #oatmealartist on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! Thank you for all your love and support!

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!