Mango-Coconut Overnight Oatmeal with Puffed Wild Rice

Before I share the beautiful recipe pictured below, let me just declare my love and commitment to New York City. I love you, NYC, and there's nobody else for me than you. Please don't be jealous at what I'm about to say. At the end of the day, my rent money goes to you, and it's your beautiful bridges and skylines I drool over.

That being said, there's another city I adore: MSP, better known to the rest of the world as "Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota."

Frosted Brownie Baked Oatmeal

You know what's fun? Eating dessert for breakfast.

I mean, I could never literally eat dessert for breakfast--at least not what most people consider dessert. Thanks to my IBS, I have the world's most sensitive stomach. Living in New York City, I enjoy a variety of vegan desserts frequently (shout-out to Wild Ginger and the PERFECTION that is their Peanut Butter Bomb Cake), but it never takes long for the pain to settle in! Thus, when I order desserts while eating out, it's often a conscious choice with a careful consideration of the consequences.

Apple Baked Oatmeal with Espresso Almond Butter Frosting

Remember how I bought almond butter and managed to not demolish it within seconds? Here is another recipe I created with it. Seriously, what could be better than a robe of almond butter smothering a baked oatmeal cake? Nothing, that’s what.

To see how I made it, scroll to the bottom. I’m about to do some sappy reflecting.

Stewed Fig and Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Happy Tuesday! Happy last week of school for me! Happy birthday to my older brother, Christopher!

There are so many reasons to be happy this week. One of the reasons includes starting every morning with this oatmeal. The inspiration actually came from my dislike of the appearance of fresh figs. Why are they so unattractive? Thus, I thought to myself: maybe if I stew them or make a compote, I can enjoy the flavor of figs without the ugly appearance.

Well, it turns out that stewed figs are, in fact, uglier than a regular ol' fresh fig. Bummer.

Roasted Strawberry and Almond Butter Oatmeal + Getting Fit #6

Yay! Oatmeal! You love oatmeal! I love oatmeal! Let's roast some strawberries and be friends.

But first, let's check in with Crystal.

This is the sixth segment of my Getting Fit series. This series features my friend Crystal, a rockstar figure skater and fellow oatmeal lover. You can her blog, Confessions of Crystal, and check out her Instagram,@crystalchilcott.

TOA: Hello! How's the concussion?

Crystal: It's better now, but I'm at home in Pennsylvania and haven't skated or worked out. It's driving me crazy! How did the last two weeks go?

TOA: Great! I finally reached my goal of running 3 miles (twice!), and oddly enough, it was at my fastest pace yet! (~10 min/mile)

Crystal: That is wonderful! Has your energy level improved?

TOA: Not particularly. I've noticed I have more energy Saturday through Monday, but the rest of the week, I'm hopeless. I'm moving around my running schedule around to fit my "high energy" days and doing the bulk of it on weekends and early in the week (Mondays and Tuesdays). Last weekend, I went on a hike with a friend instead of my usual jog to switch things up!

Crystal: That's great! Changing things up can help maintain your motivation and desire to run. Did you try interval running?

TOA: I did! This past Sunday, I didn't feel like running at all, so I gave the intervals a shot. Every time I felt like walking, I started sprinting instead. Surprisingly, it worked! That night, I ran three miles again, and my whole body was exhausted afterwards. It was such a great workout.

Crystal: That's great! That's something you can always consider if you're tired or not motivated. How do your strength exercises feel?

TOA: I'll be honest: the last time I did three miles, I skipped them. My whole body was limp.  But on this past Wednesday night, I only ran 1.5 miles (it was sweltering hot), so I did them. They are my least favorite part of the routine haha.

------------------

As I reflect on the last few months, I am so proud of how far I have come. Do I love exercising? Nope. Still hate it. Have I skipped a routine along the way? Definitely. Did I once go an entire week without running? Sure did. HOWEVER...have I given up? NO. The past several weeks, I have run at least twice (usually three times) every week. And I'm up to THREE MILES, and that's with my super exhausted body right now. I can't wait to see what I accomplish once summer vacation starts and I'm no longer a walking zombie.

Such a celebration demands some fancy porridge. I've been meaning to top my oatmeal with roasted strawberries for ages, but I finally tried it. It's actually absurdly easy--just time-consuming.

Oh, and great news: I made this jar of almond butter last more than three days (because that happened once...). It's been a solid two weeks and I haven't finished yet. Yay?

Roasted Strawberry & Almond Butter Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

For the Roasted Strawberries

• 5 strawberries
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

For the Oatmeal

• 3/4 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel-cut oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract OR almond extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (omit if using almond extract)
• 1-2 tbsp of almond butter
• pinch of salt
• sliced or slivered almonds for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an oven-safe ramekin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Hull and quarter strawberries.
3. Toss with maple syrup and vanilla extract.
4. Place in oven for about 20-25 minutes, until warm and juicy but still holding its shape. Set aside.
5. Bring milk (I use 1/2 c almond milk and 1/4 c water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you'd like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
6. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add extract of choice, optional cinnamon, and salt. Stir.
7. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, swirl in almond butter. I like to not mix it in completely because I like finding globs of it when I'm eating. :)
8. Transfer to a bowl. Top with sliced/slivered almonds and roasted strawberries. Add a 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!

Salted (or not) Caramel Apple Oatmeal

One week remains of my first year of teaching! Each year, as my life and career become increasingly more demanding, I worry about how my blog will fit into my schedule. This year, I consistently worked 70-80 hours a week, yet I somehow managed to squeeze in a few hours each weekend to manage this blog.

...So if you're wondering why I'm not so great at responding to blog comments anymore, that's why. I'm sorry! I read and appreciate all of them!

Despite my long hours of classroom prep, I remained loyal to this blog. I think that's quite telling. No matter how stressful my life was, I made this blog a priority. Why? I enjoy it. Yes, it's a LOT of (more) work, but it's also gratifying and therapeutic.

This recipe, like many others, has been stumping me for at least a year. How could I make a VEGAN caramel sauce? It's not that I didn't know how--there are tons of recipes out there. I just didn't feel like making it (see above re: 70-80 hours a week)!

Double Berry Baked Oatmeal with Lemon Curd

As summer approaches (just a couple weeks away!), everyone is craving lighter and brighter recipes. One of my favorite parts of summer is all the produce, especially the berries.

I really do challenge myself to develop non-banana recipes, just to balance things out on here. This recipe uses mashed raspberries instead of my usual mashed banana, and the blueberries are delightful because they burst and bubble in the oven.

The lemon curd is optional, but it definitely adds to the summery brightness of the recipe and makes the serving a little larger.

Pseudo Vegan Lemon Curd

I regret nothing about going vegan. The foods I once loved (steak, bacon, pulled pork) are just memories now, and despite being my favorites at one point in my life, I no longer crave them or feel like I'm missing out by not eating them.

The only thing that kind of bothers me from time to time is that there are foods out there that I never experienced. There are certain cuisines that I feel I'll never fully know, or cool desserts that I'll never be able to try. One particular food that has eluded me is lemon curd. The idea of a thicker, bright, citrusy spread is so enticing to me, and I first found out about it while I was just a vegetarian. However, I was slowly phasing out eggs at the time and didn't want to commit to a spread made from egg yolks. There are recipes for vegan lemon curd out there, but they looked so involved, and I did not want to use it in a recipe when I know most of my readers are looking for quick and easy breakfast solutions.

Bananas Foster Oatmeal

Where are my banana lovers? Let's celebrate.

Let's celebrate this fantastic fruit that makes our oatmeal creamy and our bodies regular. ;)

Let's make this humble fruit feel special and all dressed up. Let's caramelize it and make it a little boozy. (Well...this is breakfast time, so maybe we'll just use rum extract instead.)

True Bananas Foster is flambéed. I suppose you could still do that, but who has time for that in the morning? Simply caramelizing it in the pan is delicious enough.

This recipe uses rum extract. I've always thought that rum extract doesn't have much flavor, which is why the recipe calls for an entire two teaspoons. If you don't have rum extract, you could omit it. I think it would still be delishhhhhhh.

Okay, let me hear your thoughts. Why do YOU love bananas?!

Bananas Foster Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 10 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

For the Bananas Foster

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp milk of choice
• 2 tsp rum extract (can omit)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp molasses
• 1 banana

For the Oatmeal

• 1 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Combine first five ingredients in a small skillet with a whisk.
2. Cut banana in half lengthwise, and then across so you have four pieces. Place the banana pieces cut-side down in the skillet. Turn the heat on medium low.
3. Meanwhile, bring milk (I use 1/2 c almond milk and 1/2 c water) to a boil in a saucepan, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you'd like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
4. By this point, your bananas should be caramelizing on the bottom and the mixture should be thickening and bubbling. Flip them over and let them cook on the other side until both sides are nice and covered in caramel mixture.
5. Back to the oatmeal: once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Stir.
6. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice and the Bananas Foster. Optional: top with banana soft serve!

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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!

Grilled Peach Steel-Cut Oatmeal

You know you have a fantastic oatmeal planned when you wake up at 6 am and spend twenty minutes wondering if it's too early to get up and start making breakfast. That's actually one of the billion reasons I love oatmeal. Did you know I used to hate mornings? Now I wake up at absurd hours because I'm so gosh darn excited to slurp down some oats.

Yeah, so... Remember on Monday, when I was all "sophisticated" with that Strawberry Basil Oatmeal? Here we go again. Grilled peaches, anyone?

Choco-Strawberry Sauce

My mom and I bought a massive crate of strawberries last weekend. (Actually, we bought a box of peaches, too! We're still waiting for those to ripen.) Much to our horror, they started going bad immediately. As in, we were throwing berries away by the next morning. :(

I've been making admirable attempts to salvage as many of these lovelies as possible. Naturally, I've been having pot after pot of strawberry-themed porridges. Duh! Yesterday, I whipped up a strawberry sorbet (which was delicious, if I do say so myself). This morning, I made this sauce!

Mocha Sauce

The hardest part about moving is the whole grocery situation. Have you experienced this? You're leaving soon, so you want to be finished with all your produce and have as little grocery items to move/toss as possible. However, you also don't want to starve to death or survive entirely off restaurant food for the final few days.

This issue is further complicated if you are a food blogger. I'm trying to maintain a blog while my pantry and refrigerator become more barren by the second. For this reason, today I'm sharing a recipe for a topping. I will not apologize for this (even though I know you'd much rather have a new oatmeal recipe) because this glaze is ballin' and you should try it whether or not you're kitchen is better stocked than mine at the moment.

This sauce took five ingredients and a pinch of salt. It came together in less than a minute. It can be easily adjusted for preferences in sweetness and coffee flavor.

Peach Melba Oatmeal

It's June 9th. That means we have 2.5 weeks of school left. In 2.5 weeks, I'll be bidding farewell to students who I likely will never see again. I'll be embracing the three kids I've tutored daily for over nine months. Let's be honest:  I'll probably cry.

But on the other hand, I'm very eager for summer vacation. Like most inhabitants of this world, I look forward to the summer season and all it represents. Certainly, summer is not my favorite season (I prefer autumn, especially here on the east coast!), but how can one not love summer? Vacations, sundresses, lazy Saturdays in Central Park, cookouts, afternoons at the pool or the beach....and summer produce.

Oh mercy, I do love summer produce...the watermelon, berries, and peaches. It's a little early for true peach season right now, but they've started popping up at Trader Joe's. When I saw they were selling small crates of them for $3.49, I couldn't resist.

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. :)

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) 
    

Coconut-Pecan Butter

Today is my 23rd birthday. Today, my goal is to celebrate the incredible ~8,400 days that have shaped the person I am today. Today, I will not fret about the future or complain about getting older. Today, I will eat whatever I want and enjoy the bejeesus out of it.

Starting with this:

I first made this back in September to top my German Chocolate Baked Oatmeal. At the time, my lazy bum did not actually tell you how to make the coconut-pecan butter. My directions were the charismatic equivalent of "Figure it out yourself." For your convenience, I've included two recipes below: one for basic coconut butter, and another for coconut-pecan butter.

Choco-Banana Sauce

Here's an easy and pretty-darn-healthy topping for you. It's not attractive, but...

I used it to top some peanut butter oatmeal, but you could use it as "hot fudge" in Banana Split Oatmeal, or heck, just use it on a regular banana split! :)

Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal, Veganized!

Do you remember several months ago when I posted a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal? At the time, I said I was unsatisfied with the nonvegan-ness of the recipe. :) I made a pledge to veganize it...someday.

Well, it may have taken a while, but...here it is!

I bet you thought I forgot about it, didn't you?

Apple Cider Reduction Sauce

Want to appear super impressive with little work? Top your oatmeal with THIS:

I always thought that any recipe with the word "reduction" automatically sounds gourmet and fancy. I've never actually made any sort of reduction before, so that's probably why I thought it was so complicated! As it turns out, this was one of the easiest (but time-consuming) things I've ever done.

Caramelized Banana Oatmeal

Yep. I'm getting fancy.

In case you didn't get the hint from Wednesday's banana muffin post, my mom had a plethora of bananas this week. I had other plans for oatmeal, but when I saw the need to use up bananas, I had to replan. That's when I came up with this idea.