Popular Porridges
Author Archives: Lauren Smith
Brownie Baked Oatmeal with Matcha Cashew Frosting
Another brownie recipe, Lauren? Really?
On second thought, I doubt you guys mind. đ
Half a year ago, I finally bought some matcha powder online. Truthfully, I’m not the world’s biggest fan of matcha. I think it needs a lot of sweetener to taste good, and as you know, my digestive system can’t handle sweets. However, after spending all that money on it, and then seeing it camp out in the back of my cupboard for months, I felt guilty. I needed to make another recipe with it, or it was going to keep haunting me.
But what would I make?!
Tres Leches Baked Oatmeal Parfait (with Cashew-Yogurt Cream)
Consider this more an homage to the real deal. Actual tres leches cake involves a ton of dairy ingredients that is elusive to us humble vegans. I know there are recipes for vegan sweetened condensed milk out there, but my motto is always simplicity. Considering I already had to soak cashews for this recipe, I’m not about to make a sweetened condensed plant-based milk as well. I HAVE MY LIMITS. đ
I considered making this just a regular baked oatmeal with the cashew-yogurt cream on top, but I decided it would be more fun to make it as a parfait. That’s an excuse for more cream and stuff. đ (more…)
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POSTED IN: baked oatmeal, dessert lovers, nuts, parfait, toppings, veggies, yogurt, zucchini
POSTED IN: baked oatmeal, dessert lovers, nuts, parfait, toppings, veggies, yogurt, zucchini
Cannoli Baked Oatmeal (with Cashew-Yogurt Cream)
Let me introduce my latest love: cashew-yogurt cream.
Why? Because yogurt has a very distinct taste. It’s excellent if you want yogurt. It’s not excellent if you just want something creamy. And when we’re talking about nondairy yogurt, that can be triple true.
And cashew cream is never what I want it to be. I can never get it creamy enough, or sweet enough, or simply without that ~raw cashew~ aftertaste.
Cue the cashew-yogurt hybrid.
Considering how long I pondered over this recipe, I was stunned at how well this turned out. Of course, it is not the beautiful deep-fried, thin, crispy pastry tube, which is half the appeal of the beloved cannoli. There is no way that baked oatmeal will ever replicate crispy, deep-fried pastry. But it’s irrelevant . . . because this is delicious. (more…)
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POSTED IN: cashew cream, chocolate, dessert lovers, nuts, toppings, veggies, yogurt, zucchini
POSTED IN: cashew cream, chocolate, dessert lovers, nuts, toppings, veggies, yogurt, zucchini
Curried Pumpkin Basil Oats [Guest Post]
This recipe is the first of three savory recipes that won the Savory Oatmeal Contest.
My name is Sarah, and I must tell you right away that oatmeal is my favorite food. It is just so affordable and wholesome and versatile! I can literally eat it for any meal of the day. I discovered The Oatmeal Artist blog over a year ago and I check it multiple times per week. Though I do not always have the more âexoticâ ingredients Lauren lists in her recipes, reading her blog expands my  repertoire of oatmeal ideas. I also like just seeing how pretty oatmeal can be! I share my excitement about the blog and its contents regularly with friends and coworkers, and now I am excited to share my own recipe on the blog. (Thanks for the opportunity, Lauren!) I developed this recipe using simple ingredients in my kitchen, but it’s oh, so good!
Saturday morning came, and it was time to craft my bowl of oatmeal. I had leftover pumpkin sitting on the kitchen counter, bananas frozen in the freezer, and assorted vegetables in the fridge. What did I want to make? Brownie batter oatmeal? No, too sweet. Pumpkin banana oatmeal? Still too sweet. Pumpkin peanut butter? No. Curried vegetable? No, too much like the Indian food a friend and I planned to try at a new restaurant later that day. I wanted to use that pumpkin, though. It called to me. (more…)
Product Review: Purely Elizabeth Cereals
Of course, you all know that I have crazy oatmeal ideas with exotic fruits and unusual flavor combinations. However, when it comes to the grains, I’m pretty boring. I generally stick to plain old oats, occasionally adding flax or chia. And there was that one time I made half-oats, half-quinoa porridge (which was great).
Thus, when I received the opportunity to try Purely Elizabeth cereals, I quickly accepted.
Purely Elizabeth sent me two cereals: the 6-Grain Ancient Grain Oatmeal and an instant Apple Cinnamon Pecan Ancient Grain Oatmeal. The grains in the former include quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, kaniwa, hemp, flax and chia (and oats, obviously). (more…)
Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal with Persimmon
Do you love Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal? Could you eat it every day and never get sick of it?
OR do you like it, but you’re looking for a slight change? If you fit in the latter camp, I have the recipe for you. This chai-spiced porridge tastes quite reminiscent of pumpkin pie, but the addition of cardamom gives it a distinctly different experience.
And yes, I am aware that chai literally translates to tea. But we Americans use chai to refer to a specific tea: masala chai. (more…)
Why I Gave Up Artificial Sweeteners (and What I Use Instead)
What’s my deal with artificial sweeteners???
[Brief trigger warning for the following paragraph.]
I gained weight in college. Like, more than the Freshman 15. Having been naturally thin my whole life, I was shocked by the rapid weight gain and felt like I was trapped in someone else’s body. It gave me a sort of identity crisis. I found the motivation to return to my normal weight immediately so I could feel like “myself” again. Being clueless about nutrition, my initial response was to turn to commercial “diet food.”
[Trigger warning over.]
First, let’s talk health.
There are tons of debate over the dangers of artificial sweeteners. Do they cause cancer? Do they truly assist with weight loss? Are they addictive? For the history of artificial sweeteners, check out this comprehensive Fooducate post.
This is my take on it: any food that clocks in at zero calories is suspicious to me (excluding water, of course). Have you seen those zero-calorie Walden Farms products? Ain’t nothing natural about that. No shocker: these products usually contain Splenda. And a million other chemicals.
During my sophomore year of college, as I desperately tried to shed the dozens of excess pounds I had gained the year before, I had a Coke Zero (sometimes two) every day. I ate low-calorie Yoplait yogurt (sweetened artificially). I ate Quaker “Weight Control” oatmeal packets (sweetened artificially). My mom bought Sam’s Club-sized boxes of Splenda packets and we sprinkled them on everything. Everything.
But then I learned the truth. Regardless of whether or not these products actually cause cancer is up in the air, but I read enough to convince me to quit. I wanted to go all-natural. All homemade. All unprocessed. My aspartame-filled Coke Zero was accompanied with caramel color and other artificial crap. That “Orange Crème” Yoplait Light was held together by stabilizers and chemicals (they have since redone their recipe to be aspartame-free–progress!).
By indulging in articifial sweeteners–regardless of how “safe” they may or may not be–I was partaking in an industry that is anything but natural. What would help me lose weight healthily: Coke Zero, or apples? (more…)
Baklava Oatmeal 2.0
Hey. I have a confession. Sometimes I make oatmeal. And it tastes good. But it’s not perfection.
Such was the case with my Baklava Oatmeal two years ago (good grief, where has time gone?). It was delicious. Simply stunning. But it also tasted like banana. And I knew that it shouldn’t. But I didn’t know what else to do. So I posted it. After all, it was delicious.
The same was true with my original Salted Brownie Baked Oatmeal. It was good, but it tasted like banana. And it shouldn’t. No brownie should taste like banana. But eventually, I figured things out, and remade it, sans banana.
So here is my new and improved Baklava Oatmeal, for now I know the power of the zucchini. (more…)
Scotcheroo Oatmeal
TOMORROW is my 2-year vegan anniversary (aka my vegan-versary!). To celebrate, I made this beautiful baby that I’ve been trying/failing/trying/failing/trying/failing for quite some time now. But here it is, the most successful version.
Not sure what Scotcheroos are? No worriesâyouâre not alone. I myself had much confusion regarding this title, but now I can confidently give you the low-down.
Growing up, I was familiar with two similar bars: Rice Krispy bars and Special K bars. I had never heard of a Scotcheroo. However, I eventually learned that what I was calling a âSpecial Kâ bar was actually a Scotcheroo. To be a Special K bar, it has to be made with Special K cereal . . . duh. (more…)
Cherry-Berry Oatmeal with Chocolate PB2 and Toasted Coconut
I used to have a strong aversion to cooking my fruits in my oatmeal. What was the point of having fresh fruit if I were just going to boil it to oblivion in my oatmeal? However, I’ve recently come around.
First of all, the flavor is astounding. Second of all, it’s a perfect solution if you’re working with frozen fruits (as I often am when it comes to cherries). And third of all, you can still include fresh chopped berries that you add in later, so it’s the best of both worlds.
This recipe reminds me of my Black Forest Oatmeal, and I almost called it Black Forest Oatmeal 3.0 (since I’ve made so many versions of this particular flavor). However, I decided against it.
I used chocolate PB2 (obviously), but you can sub in any chocolate nut butter (yes, including Nutella), or you can take regular peanut butter and mix in cocoa powder–and maybe some sweetener if you think it’s necessary.
And don’t forget to participate in the contest to become December’s Oatmeal Enthusiast!
All you have to do is leave comments. See details here.
Random Recommendations:
- [reads] Here’s another new article of mine on ThoughtCatalog: “Dear People with Children: My Life is Not Meaningless“
- [tunes] I’ve always loved DJ Earworm’s annual mash-ups, but somehow I missed the 2014 version. It rocks. Like always.
- [tunes] Many people think Mariah Carey’s best song is “All I Want for Christmas is You.” False. It’s “Always Be My Baby.”
- [stuff] ModCloth has the best selection of skirts around. Flattering silhouettes, modest lengths, and gorgeous patterns.
Cherry-Berry Oatmeal with Chocolate PB2 and Toasted Coconut
What you'll need:
- 3/4 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats
- 5 frozen or fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- 5-10 fresh strawberries (frozen not recommended)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- serving of chocolate PB2 or nut butter* (OR Faux-reo Cookie PB2)
- unsweetened coconut flakes or chips
- optional: chocolate chips, chunks, or chopped dark chocolate; almonds; strawberries for garnish
For topping
How to make it:
- Add liquid to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a low boil and add oats. Reduce heat to medium low (it should be at a simmer).
- Add halved frozen cherries.
- Dice strawberries (the smaller, the better, in my opinion) and add HALF of them to the oatmeal along with the vanilla extract and salt.
- While you wait, toast your coconut. In a small skillet over medium low heat, add a handful of coconut. Shake the skillet occasionally so the coconut toasts evenly. When coconut starts to show tooasty golden goodness, remove from heat and set aside.
- When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, stir in the remaining strawberries, and then transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of milk, chocolate PB2, and toasted coconut, and any other optional toppings.
Just an FYI:
* You can make your own chocolate nut butter or PB2 by mixing in a teaspoon of cocoa powder. If desired, you could also add sweetener.
7 Comments
POSTED IN: almonds, berries, cherries, chocolate, coconut, nut butter, pb2, peanut butter, strawberries
POSTED IN: almonds, berries, cherries, chocolate, coconut, nut butter, pb2, peanut butter, strawberries
