Popular Porridges
Author Archives: Lauren Smith
Apple Tahini Green Smoothie
I have wanted to make this apple-tahini recipe for a long time, but as a baked oatmeal. I have been hoarding a couple tablespoons of tahini for a month just to make this, but every time I have the opportunity, I think about summonsing the hellfires of my oven, and I quickly change my mind. I never used to understand when people posted no-bake recipes and referred to “not wanting to turn on your oven,” but I get it now.
Here’s the perfect breakfast for summer mornings if you, like me, don’t have air conditioning.
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POSTED IN: apple, greens, honey, no bake, not porridge, nut butter, smoothies, tahini, veggies
POSTED IN: apple, greens, honey, no bake, not porridge, nut butter, smoothies, tahini, veggies
Savory Corn, Blueberry, and Basil Oatmeal [Guest Post]
Hi there! I’m Kelsey (@amindfulvegan on Instagram), if we haven’t met yet, and I’m thrilled to be sharing another recipe with you. This recipe is a take on Lauren’s Sweet Corn, Basil, and Blueberry Oatmeal, but where the original was sweet, this take on it is totally savory.
This recipe came to be when my roommate (Hi Kristin) brought me a gallon of blueberries from her grandmother’s house. I remembered seeing Lauren’s recipe and knew I wanted to try it, since there’s so much fresh basil around right now. I guess I hadn’t actually read it though, because I was definitely expecting a savory porridge. When I did read the recipe and found out it was more of a sweet flavor profile, I played around with the ingredients and made the savory oatmeal you see below. (more…)
Oatmeal Enthusiasts: Meet Tiffany!
Happy 4th of July to my American readers! I hope everyone’s month is off to a fantastic start. This July marks the 3rd anniversary of the first post in the Oatmeal Enthusiast series, which featured Brittany and her artistic designs! Now, three years later, this month celebrates Tiffany, whom we’ve met before on her Glühwein Red Grape Porridge a year ago.
Dearest Fellow Oatmeal Addicts,
What is more ideal than on a grey winter’s day, curling up in bed with a warm, comforting bowl of oats while the rain and wind storms outside? Not much, that’s what. And that’s exactly what it’s like here in Melbourne right now, Australia’s very own Windy City. It’s perfect porridge weather!
My name is Tiffany and I am honoured to be your Oatmeal Enthusiast for this month. You may have come across my recipe for Glühwein Red Grape Porridge that Lauren so graciously let me share with you last year. Hello again! I am an aspiring editor and avid reader, meandering my way through the world and eating my way through Melbourne’s oh-so-hipster brunch cafes. Breakfast dates are where it’s at, people. If I’m not ordering smashed avocado (seriously, how can something so simple be so darn tasty?), then I get a beautiful bowl of oats with all kind of fancy-pants ingredients – and typically, edible flowers.
But when I’m at home, breakfast is almost always a soul-soothing bowl of porridge. When rain batters against the window and frost covers the world outside in her thick, damp blanket, my oats are the only thing that help me crawl from beneath the covers and face the bitter chill of another Victorian morning. I enjoy coming up with new recipes and trying different combinations of flavours. I love fruit and my porridge recipes typically involve seasonal fruits, some natural sweetener and nuts or seeds for crunch.
I haven’t always been such an oatmeal enthusiast. Believe it or not, as a kid I loathed porridge. It was a textural thing, I think. But thankfully, my tastes have since changed and my life is so much better with oatmeal. For me it’s among the joys of adulthood, along with red wine, mushrooms, and mornings when I don’t have to set an alarm. I discovered this love for the wholesome oat around the time I became a vegetarian, approximately six years ago. I was becoming very aware of what I put into my body and the nutrients I needed, as well as understanding the ethical ramifications of my food choices. I started out with basic oatmeal combinations – banana and berries, apple and cinnamon etc – and from there my love for oats and my experiments with ingredients took off. And now I’m a lifelong convert.
Since those early days of my porridge journey, my recipes have become increasingly more interesting. Some experiments have turned into my favourite combinations, while others not so much. But it’s all an adventure! Some of my unexpected successes include: Banana, Ginger and Fig Porridge with Toasted Pecans; Summer Apricot and Salted Peanut Porridge; Grilled Nectarine and Blueberry Porridge; Purple Carrot and Cardamom Porridge with Toasted Hazelnuts; Sugar-Roasted Grape and Cinnamon Oatmeal; Maple-Glazed Pear and Almond Baked Oatmeal; Golden Gingerbread Porridge with Bananas and Blackberries; Coconut Passionfruit Overnight Oats with Rockmelon and Banana.
And, of course, some of my all-time favourite recipes are: Peanut Butter Banana Porridge with Fresh Strawberries; Mango Banana Overnight Oats topped with Granola; Baked Pumpkin and Almond Porridge; Passionfruit and Banana Porridge with Toasted Coconut … Did I mention peanut butter and banana?
It’s pretty safe to say that oatmeal has become a major food group in my life. So, without further ado, here is My Week in Oatmeal!
MONDAY
Coconut Persimmon Porridge
This recipe has to be among my favourites. Coconut milk lends creaminess to the oats and the persimmons are so juicy and sweet that I find no need to add extra sweetness. Toasted coconut adds warmth, texture and a nutty flavour. So good! (more…)
Blueberry Pie Oatmeal Bites
I’ve been craving some more oatmeal bites lately. For nearly a week straight, snack time would approach, and I would wish I had some of these gooey, chewy noms to bite into.
I had dried blueberries leftover from my recent granola recipe, and I knew they’d be perfect for this recipe. After studying some blueberry pie recipes, I added a bit of cinnamon and lemon juice, and voila–blueberry pie. Fabulous flavor. Definitely my favorite “bite” yet!
Lychee Coconut Overnight Oatmeal
Lychees and coconut milk. That’s it. I wanted to add mango so badly, but I knew if I did, I wouldn’t be able to taste the lychee as well. Considering how rare and special it is for me to possess fresh freakin’ lychees, I wasn’t about to cover it up with the (admittedly delicious) flavor of mango. In my opinion, when there’s a fruit you rarely have around, you let that fruit be the goddamn star.
10 Best Recipes for Enjoying Oats in the Summer
I’m pretty stubborn, so I continue to sweat over a stove to cook my daily porridge, which I then take to my bedroom and eat while standing directly in front of the air conditioner. However, I understand that’s not everyone’s cup of chamomile tea. If you don’t want to say goodbye to your filling, fibrous oats, here are my ten favorite recipes that avoid turning on stoves or ovens!
Overnight Recipes
> Ambrosia Overnight Oatmeal
Bright from the citrus and creamy from the coconut! (more…)
Choco-Blueberry Almond Granola
This granola is crunchy, sweet, flavorful, and full of little chocolate clusters. Yes–as the chocolate chips melt, they clump together and form happy, cocoa clusters. You. Are. Welcome.
Citrus Butternut Squash Oatmeal with Orange Marmalade
I love combining citrus with hearty produce like sweet potato or winter squash. It adds so much brightness, making porridges like this acceptable year-round, not just in November.
Muddy Buddies Oatmeal
Or Puppy Chow Oatmeal. Or Monkey Munch Oatmeal. My family called it puppy chow, but I think it’s more widely known as muddy buddies, so that’s what I’ll name it.
Whatever you know it as, it’s the same thing: a “Chex”-type cereal coated in peanut butter and melted chocolate, and then tossed in powdered sugar. How did I turn this into “healthy” oatmeal? I didn’t. I tried, and it didn’t work. This is one of those go-for-it-or-pick-a-different-recipe kind of posts.
Don’t you dare skip the powdered sugar.
Product Review: Matcha Marketplace Oatmeal
I’m really excited to share this new product I had the opportunity to try this week. Considering my slow acceptance of matcha, I was eager to try out these premade oatmeal packets by Matcha Marketplace. My variety pack featured Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry Coconut, and Cranberry Walnut–all with matcha!
How cute is this packaging? I love the clear packets and the intricate layering of all the ingredients. Charming! Speaking of ingredients, when you order the packets online, you can choose either “brown sugar added” or “no sugar added,” giving you an extra layer of control over your purchase. That being said, the product I sampled included brown sugar and I found it to be a very subtle sweetness, so I say go for the sugar! And yes, the oats they use are certified gluten-free.
Blueberry Coconut Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!
Ingredients: Dried Blueberries, Coconut, Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha
Review: This one is my favorite. I think coconut and matcha are meant to be together, so this flavor combo was destined to be my favorite of the three. I thought that the blueberry and coconut flavors enhanced the matcha best out of the three flavors. I topped mine with Earth Balance coconut-peanut spread and loved the combo. I think the richness of coconut makes this not need much sweetness at all.
Cranberry Walnut Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!
Ingredients: Cranberries, Walnuts, Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha
Review: I wasn’t expecting much from this since I have never considered a dried cranberry capable of giving off much flavor, but I was wrong. It tasted like cranberries! And not like they had added fake cranberry flavor–it tasted like it was infused gently by the dried cranberries. That being said, this one wasn’t quite as fruity and flavorful as the blueberry and coconut one, and matcha flavor didn’t come through as much, either. This cranberry and walnut version is great with some maple syrup drizzled on top, or maybe some luscious walnut butter!
Apple Cinnamon Matcha Oatmeal –> buy!
Ingredients: Dried Apples, Cinnamon Chips (contains dairy), Gluten Free Oats, Brown Sugar (available without), Matcha
Review: Full disclosure–I couldn’t review this authentically because the cinnamon chips contain nonfat milk powder. However, the packets are dry and easy to pick apart, so I literally just took out all the cinnamon chips and replaced them with a dash of regular cinnamon. I was surprised at the idea of combining cinnamon with matcha, but it actually worked! The cinnamon admittedly masked the matcha, but they didn’t conflict. The dried apples also flavored the oatmeal more than the dried cranberries. For those of you who say you don’t like dried apples, they lose that creepy “squeaky” texture when you cook them and feel like regular apples. This one didn’t need any more sweetener. I topped it with almond butter.
Tips from The Oatmeal Artist:
- We all know that packaged oatmeal is always smaller in volume that homemade oatmeal. You can plump it up with grated zucchini without altering the fabulous flavor of the product (this is what I did)! You could also add applesauce or grated apple to the Apple Cinnamon Matcha Oatmeal.
- It’s easy to add fresh fruit to these products. For example, if you have fresh blueberries, why not throw them on top of your Blueberry Coconut Matcha Oatmeal?
- This would make a great way to introduce yourself to matcha and matcha oatmeal, as opposed to dropping $20 on entire tub of matcha powder before you even know if you like it! Plus, the matcha in these recipes is very subtle, so it’s much less intimidating than ordering a matcha latte. 🙂
- You could probably make this as an overnight oatmeal, but you would want to pick out the nuts and add them right before serving. Letting walnuts soak in liquid overnight gives them a sad and gritty texture, not the satisfying crunch we expect.
- This oatmeal would be delicious flooded with steamed milk! See my London Fog Oatmeal for an example.
