Tiramisu Oatcakes for One

You know my oatcakes always feature some sort of fruit or veggie, whether it's mashed banana, pureed peaches, apple butter, or pureed beets.

Can you guess the produce packed into this one?

It's zucchini! Now, I have experimented with using zucchini in the past, but it has often failed to serve the purpose I needed it for. I usually want it to be a "tasteless filler" in an otherwise "nutrition-less" recipe (see: any cookie recipe). However, it never worked as nicely as I would have liked. Just recently, I used it to make a brilliant recipe (you will just have to wait until I "nail it" to see what it is!), but I could taste the zucchini. As low in flavor as it is, it does leave some sort of flavor, particularly when paired with cinnamon, as it was in that recipe.

Chocolate Zucchini Baked Oatmeal

It's been quite a long time since I've shared a recipe for baked oatmeal. I devoted most of July to stove-top recipes and had little ambition for heating up the oven.

I made an exception for this recipe. I came in possession of a zucchini from the farmers' market in my hometown before I left for New York, and I knew I had to attempt this recipe. I don't buy zucchinis often, so it was now or never.

Morning Glory Oatmeal

You guys, the worst thing ever happened. I came up with this amazing idea for a baked oatmeal, only to discover that somebody else beat me to it by a matter of days. Days!! Bummer. I literally said to my mother, "I have this idea for oatmeal using zucchini, carrots, and apple," and two hours later, I stumbled on Oatgasm's post on Foodgawker. I was distraught!

On the other hand, I was able to use Oatgasm's recipe to help create my own version, especially when it came to the spices. I've never personally experienced a Morning Glory Muffin, so I appreciated the assistance. However, I did do some tweaking to meet my preferences (like how I never have applesauce on hand). And, since Oatgasm mastered the baked version, I decided to bring you the stove-top version. Want it baked? Go to her. Want it on the stove? I gotcha covered.

Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal

After my other experience with zucchini bread oatmeal, I decided to try something a little more authentic. In fact, you may notice, I went back and changed the name of the other recipe to "Zucchini-Nut Bread Oatmeal." It just seemed right.

But this one tastes like zucchini bread, especially because it's baked.

TIP: Zucchini

Why would you add zucchini to oatmeal, you ask? The same reason people add it to brownies: for an extra serving of veggies.

This trick works best for "simple" recipes that lack other fruits and veggies. For example, it would really do wonders in plain Peanut Butter Oatmeal, Jam Oatmeal, or Choconut Oatmeal. These recipes are all lacking in produce, but they don't need additional sweeteners (unlike Almond Joy or Thin Mints Oatmeal, which need a banana for sweetening). The one in the picture is an upcoming recipe that still needs tweaking, but I can tell you that the main ingredient was pumpkin butter. There was no fruit, and it didn't need to be sweetened with a banana because pumpkin butter is already sweet. Thus, it's a perfect candidate for zucchini!

I also want to point out that the zucchini will also leave streaks of green in your porridge, so it might affect the presentation of your oatmeal if you're trying to impress someone else with your oatmeal skills. However, you could probably avoid that by skinning the zucchini first.

To bulk up your oatmeal with zucchini, simply use a fine grater (I use a cheese grater) to shred it up right into the saucepan. It's best to add it immediately after adding the oats, so it has time to cook and get soft. Approximately 1/3 of a medium-sized zucchini is the perfect amount.

Alternatively, you could just make Zucchini Bread Oatmeal. :)

**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!

Zucchini-Nut Bread Oatmeal

I do actually make up the majority of my recipes. I slide out of bed, zombie-walk to the kitchen, and experiment. Trust me: when you make something every day, it's hard not to become somewhat of a master at it.

But sometimes I just like to try other bloggers' ideas. Why not, right? Like I said about my Gingerbread Oatmeal: there's no point in reinventing the wheel!