Blueberry Cashew Oatmeal

My mother is pretty wonderful. She knew I was coming to spend about two weeks at her and my father's house, so she stocked up on food that she knew I would like: apples, bell peppers, honeydew, cantaloupe, whole wheat bread, watermelon, almond milk, organic spring mix (!!), and several varieties of nuts.

One of those nuts was cashews. What a treat! They are actually my mother's favorite nuts, so I'm not surprised she picked them. ;) I personally prefer almonds and pecans, so it's not often that I have cashews. I'm not switching my allegiance yet, but I will say it was nice having something different.

In other news, I received major news yesterday. Back in January, I applied to be a part of a tutor corps at a charter school in Boston. I got a phone interview with them, but ultimately didn't make it past that stage. To my credit, that program claims to be more competitive than the Harvard College of Education. Hmph.

Anyway, despite being turned down by them, they passed my information on to another school in Newark. At first, I was hesitant. Barney and Ted don't have nice things to say about New Jersey on How I Met Your Mother. :) However, a couple weeks after I initially received the email from this school, I decided I had nothing to lose and applied.

I didn't think my phone interview went that well, but I received another email yesterday requesting me to make an on-site visit! Ah! I can almost taste the success; I'm so close!

Most people are happy for me, but I'm still getting an occasional "....Newark?!?!" (with the nose wrinkled) comment. No, it's not paradise. But neither is Small Town, South Dakota. This isn't a vacation; this is a job to help hundreds of young middle school students in troubled homes realize their full potential. I'm not looking for palm trees and hammocks. Just living 20 minutes from Manhattan will be enough of a thrill for me!

So anyway... :) This recipe is super easy. I wondered if the blueberries would be enough to sweeten it, but it was...for me, anyway. If you aren't used to no-sugar recipes, you may have to find a way to sweeten yours. :) Oh, and if you don't have blueberries (or don't like them), I imagine that any berry would work fine!

Blueberry Cashew 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 cup frozen blueberries (can sub in any berry)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• handful of cashews

Instructions

1. Bring milk (I use 1/2 c original almond milk and 1/2 c water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium.
2. Add frozen blueberries. Stir.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract and salt.
4. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, raisins, sunflower seeds), do so now.
5. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice and top with cashews.

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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!

Banana-Berry and White Chocolate Oatmeal

Have you ever looked at the ingredients list for white chocolate?

Like most of my recipes, this particular one was sitting in my mind for a while. I didn't want to actually buy white chocolate chips, though; it's not an ingredient I would use a lot, and I knew my mom had a bag. Thus, my plan was to wait until I was visiting my parents to try this out. So that's what I did.

However, I also looked at the ingredients list as I was making it. Umm...how can white chocolate legally call itself "chocolate?" It's essentially sugar, milk, and other crap. Still, I was too emotionally invested in this recipe to turn back, so I continued. :)

The first time I made this, I didn't include the banana. I'll be honest: I hated it. :) It was just...not great. The second time, I tried it with banana and much less berries (and mostly blueberries, my favorite berry), and I actually really liked it. I'm not sure if I'll make it again (because of the white chocolate, which kind of grosses me out now), but it was definitely delicious enough to share! 

Edit: Here is a much better brand of white chocolate chips, if you're interested!

Banana-Berry & White Chocolate 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 ripe banana
• handful of frozen berries (I used blueberry and raspberry)
• pinch of salt
• handful of white chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Bring milk (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium.
2. Mash up ripe banana and add to the oatmeal. Add frozen berries. Stir.
3. Once more of the liquid has dissolved, add a pinch of salt and stir. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, dried fruit), do so now.
4. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice and a handful of white chocolate chips.

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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!

Fudgy Banana and Peanut Butter Oatmeal

**This post has been updated since its original post in July 2012**

Which oatmeal do I run home to after a tough day at work? Which oatmeal is good enough to be my breakfast on my 23rd birthday? Which oatmeal do I turn to when my produce drawer is looking empty? Which oatmeal contains the best flavor trio (chocolate, banana, and peanut butter) EVER?

This recipe was originally included as an option in my Variations on Peanut Butter Oatmeal post, but a porridge this good deserves special treatment. We're talking about my favorite recipe, you guys.

After all...it's pretty much heaven in a bowl. Sweet and creamy bananas...salty peanut butter....fudgy chocolate...ahhhh. But it's so simple, too! I always have cocoa powder. I always have peanut butter. I always have bananas. If I don't have a fresh banana available, I have some frozen bananas sliced up in the freezer, waiting for me at my convenience. This recipe is as dependable and cheap as it is delicious.


And if I may, I actually would recommend trying Hershey's Dark Chocolate cocoa powder. I used that for many of my chocolate oatmeal recipes (which is why my chocolate oatmeals are so blackish). However, I frequently make this with regular cocoa powder (like in these photos) and it's still marvelous.

Marvelous enough to be my #1.

If you've tried this recipe, please let me hear your reviews in the comments section! We can fawn over this porridge together.

Fudgy Banana and Peanut Butter 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 ripe banana
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 rounded tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 or 2 tbsp peanut butter
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Bring milk (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil, add rolled oats, and reduce heat to medium.
2. Mash up a ripe banana and add to the oatmeal. Stir.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir. If it doesn't look very chocolaty, add more cocoa powder.
4. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, drop in small clumps of peanut butter and stir in. I don't like to stir mine in completely. I like it left in clumps so I get bursts of peanut butter flavor every few bites. :)
5. Transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice and any other additional toppings (chocolate chips, 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!

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!

Banana Cream Pie Overnight Oatmeal

Banana Cream Pie is one of my favorite desserts...but only when it's made correctly (aka homemade). I hate when people just whip up Jell-O banana pudding and stick it on top of a store-bought crust, and then squirt some canned whipped cream on top. It's absolutely insulting!

I've wanted to create a banana cream pie oatmeal for a while now, but I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Would it just be a regular banana oatmeal with extra vanilla extract? Would I top it with something (banana soft serve? coconut whipped cream? soy yogurt?) to resemble the "cream?"

But then I got THIS idea. And it's PERFECT. Banana Cream Pie should be cold, anyway, NOT hot! Plus, I like to think of overnight refrigerator oatmeal more like "oatmeal pudding," and pudding is exactly what I wanted this oatmeal to resemble!

Loaded PB&J Oatmeal

Perhaps I've been so successful as a vegetarian because my favorite sandwich is PB&J. In fact, one of my favorite restaurants/coffee shops in town offers this divine, gourmet PB&J. It uses natural peanut butter, homemade mixed berry jam, sliced bananas, and homemade granola, all between locally made bakery bread...and then it's grilled.

DROOOOOOL. When people ask how I can be a vegetarian, I think of sandwiches like that: so simple and obvious and perfect. I don't need faux meats and Boca burgers. Often, it's the simplest ingredients that satisfy me!

In addition to eating PB&J sandwiches like it's my job, I also use it in my oatmeal frequently. This version, loaded with toppings that remind me of this gourmet panini, may have just become one of my top ten favorite porridges. :)

Loaded PB&J 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 ripe banana
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp jam or fruit spread
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (increase if you want)
• pinch of salt
• 5 or so fresh strawberries (or another berry)
• handful of granola
• handful of nuts of choice

Instructions

1. Bring milk (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium.
2. Mash up a ripe banana and add to the oatmeal. Or, you can do what I did: mash 1/2 the banana and add to the oatmeal, and slice the rest later on top.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, a tiny pinch of salt, cinnamon, and jelly. Stir.
4. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Drop globs on peanut butter on top and swirl it in. Add sliced strawberries (and bananas), granola, and peanuts. Add a splash of milk and dig in!

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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 Brownie Baked Oatmeal

Mmkay. How could anyone see the name of this recipe and NOT be tempted?!

I suppose I owe you that much. It's been over a WEEK since I've posted a recipe. First, I didn't have any of the right ingredients to make a new recipe. Then, I spent the weekend camping with my parents at my grandmother's farm. Then, I was so stressed out with work that I didn't have time to take pictures in the morning. Finally, yesterday I planned to make this recipe and blog it before work...only to wake up an hour late and have to settle for TOAST. :(

Banana Bread Oatmeal

I realized the strangest thing this morning: I have never posted a recipe for banana bread oatmeal.

Which is absolutely bizarre if you consider a) how easy it is, b) how it was one of the first oatmeals I ever created, and c) that Quaker Instant Banana Bread Oatmeal packets were my very first experiences with porridge.

Orange Blackberry Oatmeal

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the possibilities. I have so many ideas to share with the world, and it feels like there simply isn't enough time to do it all.

This morning in particular was tormenting! I spent nearly ten minutes trying to decide what to make. Ultimately, I decided on this orange-blackberry combo--and I'm glad I did! It was the perfect way to wake up my sleepy Sunday self.