Popular Porridges
Author Archives: Lauren Smith
Topping: Cinnamon-Tahini Icing [Guest Post]
Hi fellow oatmeal lovers!
My name is Kasia (@cathyhope9 on Instagram), and I’m honored to be sharing my second recipe on The Oatmeal Artist’s blog (first one was Cherry Chili Brownie Baked Oatmeal).
I love Lauren’s weekly themes. They save me from daily dilemma: what oatmeal am I going to have for breakfast?! When one of themes was cinnamon I knew I had to make:
- apple pie oatmeal,
- cinnamon roll oatmeal.
I’ve had apple pie thousands times before but… the problem was cinnamon roll. They are not popular in Poland where I am from, and I have never tried one. I couldn’t copy the flavor I didn’t know. So I searched for the recipe for the stove-top Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal, and TheVegan8 recipe was what I was looking for! (more…)
Matcha, Banana, and Coconut Overnight Oatmeal [Guest Post]
Hi friends. My name is Kelsey, if we haven’t met before. I hang out on Instagram as @amindfulvegan, and today I’m here to share with you a recipe that I posted a photo of on four separate occasions before I realized that I probably needed to cool it.
I’m a little bit embarrassed to be sharing this recipe with you. It features two things that I’ve given my mother an incredible amount of grief for liking: green tea and coconut. I spent 22 holiday seasons complaining about the presence of coconut pie (and one saying “no thank you, that’s got eggs”) and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve turned my nose up at the Diet Arizona green tea in my parents’ fridge. (Seriously though, diet green tea is pretty gross.)
You know what’s also gross? Matcha tea. I had never tried it, so I made some before I wrote this recipe up and that stuff is nasty. It’s grassy and bitter, but not in a good way. My recommendations for eating matcha are the same as the ones Lauren made in a recent post. That’s what a whole banana, and the coconut water, is for–cutting the bitterness. It tones the matcha flavor down to make a pleasant, fresh tasting bowl of oats that I promise isn’t grassy in the slightest. (more…)
Strawberry Oat Crumble Bars + Oh She Glows Every Day Cookbook Review
Last month, I completed a self-imposed challenge in which I tried 20 recipes from the original Oh She Glows cookbook. Coincidentally, I’m back today for the virtual cookbook tour of Oh She Glows Every Day, Angela’s second cookbook.
Like the original, this follow-up book seeks to wow plant-based and omni eaters alike with wholesome and hearty meals. Angela’s ability to create soul-enriching and nourishing meals never ceases to amaze me, always bursting with invigorating fresh flavors. If you’re stuck in a frozen veggie burger stage, Oh She Glows Every Day has several enticing recipes that may convince you to swap your ketchup and frozen fries with some green onion and roasted chickpeas. I can’t wait to try The Best Shredded Kale Salad, Mocha Empower Glo Bars, Roasted Breakfast Hash, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Coconut “Bacon,” and the Sweet Potato Casserole. And that’s just the beginning!
Matcha Yogurt and Fudgy Overnight Oats Parfait
While I prefer unsweetened yogurt for my usual snacking (on the rare occasion that I do snack on yogurt), I went for vanilla-flavored yogurt for this recipe. Instead of mixing it up in the morning when the overnight oats layer was ready, I made it at the same time as the overnight oats, thus allowing the matcha flavor to “rest” with the yogurt. I don’t know the science behind it, but I think this improves the matcha flavor.
Salted Almond, Grape, and Thyme Oatmeal
This oatmeal is cooked with diced red grapes and fresh thyme to make every bite fresh and flavorful. Then, it’s garnished with salted, toasted almonds and another pinch of coarse salt, just for good measure. BAM. The final result is warm and earthy with the perfect touch of sweet-and-salty flare.
Oatmeal Enthusiasts: Meet Kristy and Roxy!
Happy Labor Day, Americans! To everyone else, I hope your September is off to a great start. To anyone going back to school this month, I wish you well on your year. I start my last year of graduate school this week as well.
This month’s Oatmeal Enthusiast is actually two Enthusiasts. They share a joint account on Instagram and post some gorgeous food shots regularly–check them out!
The first thing you should know about us is that we come as a pair. We are pretty much joined at the hip and we do everything together. Even when we started University we were just known as ‘Kirsty and Roxy’, with no one being able to distinguish who was who. The interesting thing is that we are actually polar opposites. I, Roxy, am short, loud, erratic and a dark, dark brunette. Kirsty, however, is tall, graceful, quiet and a dark blonde. We went through school, college and university together, even surviving a year in the jungle together. Kristy keeps me grounded and I like to think I make her laugh, although probably in exasperation over something stupid I have done.
Powerlifting and fitness is our latest joint venture. We have always cooked together and we have been working out together since we were in school but powerlifting was introduced to us by Kirsty’s boyfriend in university. It has lead us to kitchens that look like bomb-sites, questionable-tasting food, spicy-as-hell food and, on the most part, absolutely delicious food. We may slave away in the kitchen for hours but it is worth it for a plate of nutritious and glorious food. Contrary to what was said earlier, there is one thing that we do separately and that is breakfast. I am inherently lazy whereas Kirsty likes to sing with the dawn chorus. She rises early, I rise late, in time for brunch rather than breakfast.
We both appreciate the importance of a substantial and tasty breakfast. Especially with our training, it is vital to kick start the day with something that will keep the engines burning well into lunch time. And the holy grail answer to that question comes in the form of tiny, golden flakes of deliciousness. Oats. So versatile and filling. Now don’t judge, but it took a while for me to get on the bandwagon with oats. Kirsty is the porridge queen and never fails to make a perfect breakfast. Her signature is ‘zoats’ and will most definitely be featured later on. I, on the other hand, have to come from a different angle, jazzing things up so that I don’t miss out on the powerhouse that is oatmeal. Lauren’s recipes are the perfect kind of recipes for jazzed up oatmeal. We will definitely be trying the Mojito Overnight Oatmeal. Yummy.
We are ‘Kirsty and Roxy’ and we are honoured to be this month’s Oatmeal Enthusiasts. We hope we can share and inspire you to create some delicious recipes of your own.
Monday: Classic ‘Zoats’
At first I was very hesitant to add courgette/zucchini to my oatmeal… But after my first try I was hooked! ‘Zoats’ are a great way to get in one of your five a day, and it also adds lots of volume and fibre to your breakfast. It is such a versatile recipe and any toppings would suit! This morning I went for frozen blackberries and raspberries, banana, mixed seeds, milled linseed and lotus biscoff spread. (more…)
Weekend Musings: OSG Cookbook Part II
I am completing a challenge using the Oh She Glows cookbook (the first one). For this challenge, I am preparing 20 recipes from the book in one month’s time. To read Part I of this challenge and see the first ten recipes, click here.
Recipe 11: Immunity-Boosting Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms
I had a ton of baby bellas leftover from the Easy Mushroom Gravy, and they were screaming to be used ASAP. Considering I already had many of the remaining ingredients for this sauce in my fridge, cupboard, and spice rack, this seemed like the perfect recipe.
I used to make my own marinara sauce on the regular, so this reminded me of my hardcore #FoodRevolution days, before I calmed the heck down. I was anxious about having actual chunks of tomato in this sauce (as opposed to pureeing them), but the sauce is well-flavored and the tomato soaked it all up nicely.
(more…)
Mango Oatmeal with Sriracha PB2
You know what’s extra great about this recipe? It’s a really simple oatmeal topped with a really simple PB2. The oatmeal is oats + mango, and the topping is PB2 + Sriracha. Maravilloso, right?!
3 Comments
POSTED IN: 5 ingredients or less, mango, nut butter, pb2, peanut butter, spicy, toppings, tropical
POSTED IN: 5 ingredients or less, mango, nut butter, pb2, peanut butter, spicy, toppings, tropical
Molasses Tahini Oatmeal
This oatmeal is inspired by a Turkish treat known as Tahin Pekmez. The real deal is made using grape molasses, but I had trouble finding that, so I settled for regular molasses (which also pairs beautifully with tahini).
Weekend Musings: Soaking Oats
Remember, I am not a nutritionist. Everything I’m about to write came from my own experiences and from independent researching. If you haven’t yet read my musing about being a nutrition skeptic, I highly recommend it!
For a long time, I’ve noticed that my stomach is happier after eating overnight oats compared to stovetop oats. I had no idea why. Even when I made a larger portion of overnight oats (they are typically smaller in volume than the same measurement of dry oats on the stove), it would still leave me with a happier gut.
When Giselle submitted her guest post for the Spiced Plantain Brownie Baked Oatmeal, she included an instruction to soak the oats in an acidic liquid overnight. Curious, I emailed back to ask why. She responded, “Soaking the oatmeal (or any other whole grain) in acidic liquid is supposed to break down the phytic acid to make them more nutritious and digestible. Rinsing them removes most of the lemon flavor.”
Normally, hearing something like “break down the phytic acid” would set off my BS radar. ? I take being a nutrition skeptic very seriously, and I think there is a lot of nonsense being thrown around. But considering the very real, noticeable difference in my digestion after eating overnight oats vs. stovetop oats, I was intrigued. (more…)
