Lemon Poppy Seed Oatmeal (2 ways)

If you can believe it, I didn’t try lemon poppy seed until I got to college. In my depression/identity crisis, I basically ate my feelings, so I made frequent trips to the on-campus eateries throughout the day. One of the treats I became addicted to was the lemon poppy seed bread. It was dense, chilled, and super sweet.

When I started eating oatmeal the following year, I initially set out to recreate dessert recipes. I tried banana bread, carrot cake, cheesecake, french toast, and chocolate chip. Basically, oatmeal was my attempt to make dieting suck less (before I discovered whole foods).

Lemon poppy seed was one of the first flavors I tried to recreate, but it took a lot of practice. In fact, It took almost two years to perfect. I originally used a recipe that used lemon pudding mix, which was delicious, but it no longer works with my whole foods approach. Thus, I have had to come up with something else. I then tried simply adding lemon juice and poppy seed, but that was dreadful–it was bitter and tart! Finally, I had an epiphany to use a mashed up banana to sweeten it. It worked!

Initially, I prepared this concoction on the stove. It wasn’t until after making my baked blueberry muffin oatmeal that I had the epiphany to try it baked. Duh! Why did I not think of that earlier?! So I’ve presented two different ways to prepare this oatmeal: the faster, stovetop version, and the slower yet more authentic baked version. Oddly enough, I can’t decide which I like better. The stovetop version has better flavor, but the baked version has a more bread-like texture that I appreciate. You decide which way you prefer!

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Lemon Poppy Seed Oatmeal (Stove Top or Baked)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: serves 1

What you'll need:

For the Stove-Top Version
• 1 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1/2 a ripe banana
• the juice of one lemon (2-3 tbsp), or 1 tsp lemon extract
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• pinch of salt
For the Baked Version
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1/3 cup milk of choice
• juice of one lemon (~3 tbsp) or 1 tsp lemon extract

How to make it:

For the Stove-Top Version
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 the banana very thoroughly and add to the oatmeal. Trust me, you don't want to stumble upon a chunk of banana in this bowl of porridge. Stir.
3. Once more of the liquid has dissolved, add a pinch of salt, poppy seeds, and lemon juice. Stir.
4. If you'd like to add any additional 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 any additional toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, etc.).
For the Baked Version
6. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly spray a single-serve ramekin.
7. In a small mixing bowl, stir together oats, baking powder, poppy seeds, and a pinch of salt.
8. In another bowl, thoroughly mash the banana. Then, add milk of choice and lemon juice. Stir.
9. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekin and bake for about 25 minutes.

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