Ambrosia Overnight Oatmeal

Ambrosia reminds me of my high school days working in the deli of my hometown grocery store. Yes, your dear Lauren used to stand behind a counter and weigh super thin slices of smoked turkey, bread and fry chicken, and gobble down leftover chicken thighs at the end of her shift. I was basically a walking tub of grease for two years. To this day, I can't stand the smell of a deep-fryer...and most fried foods, actually.

However, our deli counter also offered a variety of salads. The standards were, of course, potato salad and macaroni salad, but there was also always a couple "sweet salads." The Midwest is infamous for its...erm...salads (Exhibit A and B). I think Ambrosia is actually "a thing" outside of the Midwest, but it was definitely one of the occasional offerings at my humble little deli.

Any excuse to take out my martini glass, yes?

The key ingredients for Ambrosia are mandarin oranges (blegh), pineapple, marshmallows (obviously), cherries (the faker, the better), and coconut, all mixed together in a creamy base. I have a strong disdain for mandarin oranges, so I used good ol' navel. I skipped the cherries because I'm too cheap to buy them. I omitted the marshmallows because...you know...breakfast. And finally, I subbed So Delicious yogurt <3 for the cream.

Cherry Almond Fudge Oatmeal

Since going to my parents' house a little over a week ago, I've been hooked on my Fudgy Banana & Peanut Butter Oatmeal. Every time that I've had to photograph a new recipe--like this one--I basically had to force myself to say "no" to my beloved favorite. This recipe was a little easier to swallow since it's still "fudgy," but...no peanut butter?! The horror!

Luckily, I am satisfied with my decision as soon as I take the first bite!

I love cherry season. I think frozen cherries lack flavor, and dried cherries are tough and too chewy. Whenever I have fresh cherries to work with, I am a happy lady.

Black Forest PB and J Oatmeal

The frustrating part about moving is having such limited groceries. I'm trying not to purchase any excess food before moving day, which means I'm stuck making oatmeal solely from pantry items. Luckily for you AND me, this gave me a reason to finally share a recipe I've been hoarding recently.

It's easy for me to say that this oatmeal can be whipped up without making an extra trip to the store, but it would be delusional of me to think that everyone keeps chocolate nut butter and cherry jam on hand at all times. I do. ^_^ Thus, when I had no fresh fruit this morning, this was the perfect oatmeal to make.

Apricot Cherry Overnight Oatmeal

I achieved the impossible: I snapped an attractive photo of overnight oatmeal! What is it about overnight oats that make them so UN-photogenic? I think that's one of the reasons why I don't like posting overnight recipes. I always feel like I'm setting myself up for failure. I loathe putting up a post with sub-par photos (yet I do it all the time).

Confession time: this was the first fresh apricot I've ever eaten. Ha! I've had many a dried apricot, but never fresh. I bought one last year to make an oatmeal recipe with, but I waited a day too long and it turned rotten before I could cut into it. Dang...I hate wasting food!

I know many of you have requested for bigger helpings of overnight oatmeal, so I think you'll appreciate this one. It's massive! Having an entire fruit diced into it adds so much bulk.

Black Forest Oatcakes...and my blog's 2nd birthday!

Two years. TWO YEARS! Considering I've been running this blog during the two most challenging years of my life (student teaching/senior year, my year of service in Newark, and my first year of teaching in NYC), it's a pretty big deal that I've managed to maintain this blog through it all. To celebrate, I made oatcakes:

But first, let me indulge in my nostalgia. Three fantastic things have happened since the Oatmeal Artist's first birthday.

1. I began my partnership with Country Choice Organic, which has completely changed my life. 
2. I began the Oatmeal Enthusiast series, which showed me that there are SO MANY PEOPLE that eat oatmeal every single morning, just like me.
3. The #oatmealartist hashtag began on Instagram, which always gives me a nice ego boost whenever I'm feeling down. As of right now, there's over 2,000 pictures on Instagram with the #oatmealartist tag. So cool!

Apple and Cherry Jam Baked Oatmeal

After several recommendations from multiple readers, I finally tried grating an apple instead of dicing it. I originally disregarded it because I thought about how much I loathe grating carrots. Luckily, apples are softer than carrots and grate much more easily. I actually found it easier--and possibly even faster--to grate the apple than dice it!

Because apple is so juicy, grating it results in a sauce-like (but wonderful) glop. That may sound unappealing, but it's perfect when you consider that you'll have apple flavor in every single bite. It also means you won't have big mushy apple chunks, which is my least favorite part of baked apple oatmeal.

Choco-Cherry Cashew Oatmeal

KIND bars cost too much. Let's all agree on that. Certainly, they are a high-quality product and deserve to cost as much as they do. However, this girl will not be buying them on the regular. This girl receives a living stipend (not an actual salary) and spends too much money at Banana Republic.

However, I splurge on one or two bars from time to time. In August, when I was technically homeless for a week, was massively in debt, and had no functioning kitchen to cook in, I survived on bananas, hummus, and whole wheat naan. To make my life seem less pathetic, I also treated myself to one single KIND bar.

I remember unwrapping it for a mid-morning snack during my staff training session. For a moment, my boss's voice faded off as my attention focused on the brilliance happening in my mouth. Dark chocolate, sweet cherries, and salty cashews worked harmoniously and created a chewy, crunchy, decadent snack bar.

Peach Cherry Almond Oatmeal

Sometimes, I write these posts shortly after I've finished eating the oatmeal. Sometimes, I write it weeks after the last time I ate it. And sometimes, like right now, I write it while I'm eating it.

That's how you know it's good.

Fruit Salad Oatmeal

I must admit that I enjoy being a vegetarian. In the beginning, I struggled with feeling misplaced or left out, but once it fused into part of my identity, I embraced all of its challenges. Limited options on menus means I'll be less overwhelmed (I'm very indecisive) and more likely to try something new (like eggplant!). Potlucks become a scavenger hunt and careful investigation to discover the meatless dishes on a long table of bacon and ground beef. Thanksgiving and Easter turn into challenging games I like to call "How to Make a Meal Out of Side Dishes."

Potlucks, especially in Small Town, South Dakota, generally offer less than three vegetarian options (one of which is a basket of dinner rolls). The scalloped potatoes will always include diced ham. The quiche will always have bacon.

But there will always be fruit. Sometimes these fruits are in their raw form: a giant bowl of cubed watermelon or clusters of purple grapes. Other times, they're mixed together in one bowl: berries and melons and grapes! Sometimes, they're mixed together in a tasting "dressing," like honey mint or lemon poppy seed or coconut lime.

Almond Berry Overnight Oatmeal

What's the general consensus on almond extract? Sometimes, I truly love it. It's dynamite in my Pear and Almond Baked Oatmeal and killer in Almond Joy Oatmeal. Other times, I can't help but be a little peeved by it. I mean, it doesn't actually taste like almonds, in my opinion.

Anyway, the perk of almond extract is that it steals the show, meaning it's perfect for a "hidden banana" recipe. I make this overnight recipe whenever I'm in the mood for a creamy and fruity porridge, but I'm not in the mood for the taste of bananas. (Lately, I've filled this need with my Lemon Drop Oatmeal, but hey, it's good to have options!)

How do you feel about almond extract? Yay or nay?

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.

Berry Chocolate Crunch Oatmeal

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, taste buds!
For I ne'er tasted true beauty till this week.

Sweetest pepitas...

If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To EAT YOU.

I know I'm being incredibly overdramatic, but my confession must capture the scale of my new infatuation. This past weekend (thanks to my mother's birthday present), I tried pepitas for the first time. I've had "roasted pumpkin seeds" before, but they were nothing like "pepitas." You would think they would be equally wonderful (considering pepitas are pumpkin seeds), but there is definitely a difference, the first being that pepitas are as glorious to this night as is a winged messenger of heaven, and "roasted pumpkin seeds" are just a big pile of "meh."

Black Forest Cake Overnight Oatmeal

You all said to me that you wanted more overnight oatmeal recipes, and this is one that will start your day right. I mean, what could be better than waking up to a BLACK FOREST CAKE!?

This recipe was a tough cookie to crack. Much to my disappointment, cherries are not the most flavorful ingredient, especially in its whole form. Their flavor is locked in within that fragile skin.

The first time I made it, I dropped the berries in whole. In the morning, the oatmeal was very flavorless and did not taste at all like a Black Forest Cake. Then, I tried something a little different:  I blended the cherries first, so the oatmeal soaked up "cherry juice," which gave it much more flavor.

I also snuck in a little bit of strawberry preserves to enhance the berry flavor. Other possibilities would be "cherry extract" or "cherry flavor," anything to give more berry flavor to the final product. However, your oatmeal will be fine without any of that.

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.

Black Forest Cake Oatmeal

This morning, a screeching fire alarm woke me up at 4:26 AM. I do not remember being woken up by it, nor do I remember my first thoughts. My first memory today was standing in the middle of my bedroom, thinking, "I should put pants on."

This morning, I walked down fifteen flights of stairs in a creepy, side stairwell. I sat in the apartment lobby in my pajamas while waiting for the flashing firetruck to give us the okay. I had no idea what my hair looked like, until I spotted that frizzy lion's mane in the reflection of a window I passed. 

This morning, I stood in a crowd of tired, angry residents slouching and moping in front of the elevators, which were frantically shuffling everyone back up to their apartments. One minute passed. Two minutes passed. People started leaning against walls. Three minutes passed. People sat down. Four minutes passed. We lost hope. We took a deep breath. We took the stairs, each step reminding me that it was 5 AM and our lives officially sucked.

This morning, I sat at the kitchen counter for five minutes, coughing and panting and chugging water, while I waited for my calves to stop burning and my heartbeat to slow down to normal speed.

Then I made breakfast, and remembered why oatmeal exists:  to saturate every pore of my being with comfort and understated luxury, even on the worst of mornings. Even when you've lost an hour of sleep, a bowl of well-made oatmeal can transport you back to your happy place. :)

Single-Serving Muesli

Are you aware that muesli is just raw oats and a smorgasbord of random ingredients that could easily be assembled in thirty seconds? Are you aware that you could just grab whatever nuts, dried fruit, seeds, or what-have-yous and throw it in to your muesli? Are you aware that you need not purchase $6 boxes of mediocre muesli from the store?

I'm going to give you a moment; this revelation can be a little troubling. After all, if you're like me, you may have been depriving yourself of this wondrous breakfast because "it's too expensive" and it's a "luxury item." Now, you've realized you've been wrongfully missing out.

When I studied abroad in Ireland (thank you, world, for your kindness to me), I ate muesli for breakfast every single morning. The first morning, I chose porridge for obvious reasons. However, it was bland and runny and not my style. Then, I noticed that every place we stayed was serving Alpen Swiss Muesli. I had never heard of muesli before then, but I was immediately smitten. It was like a healthier version of granola, and it went beautifully with peaches and plain yogurt, which must be popular in Ireland because every single place we stayed at offered these items in their "buffet" lines.

Banana Split Oatmeal

Yep. I'm insane. Or genius. Not sure which.

This porridge contains ALL the flavors of the classic banana split. However, unlike the typical massive dessert found in diners, THIS banana split is healthy AND vegan! Don't act like you're not impressed. ;)

Cherry Garcia Oatmeal

This recipe has been on my mind for at LEAST half a year. Why, oh why, must cherries cost so much??

I once tried this with cheap cherry jam. I was at a diner for Sunday breakfast, and they had those little individual packets of jams. I immediately thought of my chocolate-cherry idea, and I snatched one and hid it in my purse. ;)

Sadly, it did not turn out as I had hoped. Cheap, processed cherry jam is lame. Luckily, I can confidently tell you that FRESH CHERRIES are spectacular, and they make this oatmeal so wonderful. Finally, my chocolate-cherry dreams have been met!

Cherry Garcia Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 10 or so cherries, fresh or dried
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• handful of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Bring milk (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil. While you're waiting for it to begin boiling, prepare your cherries: rinse, slice in half, and remove the pits. Set the prepped cherries in a bowl and set aside.
2. Once the liquid is boiling, add the rolled oats and reduce heat to medium.
3. Dump in your halved cherries (save some for topping, if you wish) and stir!
4. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract and salt.
5. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, raisins, sunflower seeds), do so now.
6. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, drop in about half of the chocolate chips and lightly swirl them into the oatmeal. Then, transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice, and top with the remaining chocolate chips (and cherries) and any other preferred toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, etc.).

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**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!

Apple-Cherry Oatmeal

My family is quite accepting of my oatmeal love. In fact, when we were camping the other day, my mom made sure to have some rolled oats and almond milk packed for me. How sweet!

Even more sweet was what she bought for me: fresh cherries. I've wanted to use them in oatmeal for the longest time, but they're so gosh darn expensive! I mentioned to her that I've always wanted some, and much to my delight, she actually bought some!

I couldn't believe how delicious this was. Cherries taste delightful on their own, but cooked in oatmeal really brought out the flavor. Some fruits lose their flavor in oatmeal. Cherries seem to gain flavor!

Apple-Cherry Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1 small apple
• 5 or more cherries, fresh or dried
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Bring milk (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil.
2. While you're waiting for the liquid to boil, prep your fruits. Slice and dice your apples, and cut your cherries in half and remove the pits. Set them aside in a bowl.
3. Once the liquid starts to boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. Add flax or chia if you'd like. Then, add apples and cherries.
4. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon. Stir.
5. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, raisins, 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 could also top with more cherries!

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**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!

Triple Berry and Banana Oatmeal

It occurred to me last night after I posted my Fuzzy Navel Oatmeal recipe that I never actually told you guys about my summer job. Hmm...

I'm teaching at a college preparatory program for low-income and/or racial minority students. Many of them are ESL (English as a Second Language) students who have come to America from Africa (particularly Ethiopia and Eritrea).

My college education drilled it into me that low-income students would be far behind because they lacked essential background knowledge, and I prepared for this job with that in mind. Umm...I could not have been more wrong! These are some of the brightest, most inspiring students I have yet to work with (not that I have been a teacher that long, but...)!

I introduced myself on the first day by admitting my love for oatmeal. Nearly every day since then, a few of my students tease me at the start of every lesson by asking me what I had in my oatmeal that morning.

This recipe is dedicated to them. :) It's a special one, and I call it "special" because it's extremely unlikely that I will ever be in possession of blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries all at the same time again. I've had this recipe in mind for a long time, but I procrastinated because I knew it would be a financial investment! If you like berries, though, it's quite a treat! I imagine that I could play around with jams and frozen fruit if I didn't have all the berries fresh on hand....

Triple Berry and Banana Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1/2 a banana
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 5 fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1/2 cup mix of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or whatever berry you have!

Instructions

1. Bring milk (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. I also add a spoonful of milled flax at the same time as my oats.
2. Mash up a ripe banana and add to the oatmeal. Stir.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, cinnamon, and a tiny pinch of salt. Stir.
4. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, add half of the fruits and stir gently. Transfer to a bowl and top with the rest of the fruit. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice and any other additional toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, etc.).

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**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!