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Author Archives: Lauren Smith
Mocha Poached Pear Oatmeal with Tahini
As most of my readers know. . .
Thus, many of my pear recipes are desperate, elaborate concoctions to attempt to make them palatable to me. Today’s strategy: poaching. In chocolate. Mocha chocolate, to be exact.
And then dousing it all in tahini.
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Announcement! TOA Comment Contest
Happy Sunday, friends!
You can tell by the fact that I’m posting on Sunday that I have a special announcement today.
I love blogging. I do a lot of writing (did you see my published article on Thought Catalog???), but blogging allows me a constant, structured, uncensored outlet for my writing. Seeing my “fanbase” (quotes added because I feel unworthy to call it that) grow steadily throughout my blog’s three and a half years has been such a blessing.
I apologize for the excessive amount of parenthetical comments in that paragraph. Bad writing.
However, I’ve noticed something. You guys don’t comment much. As I peruse other blogs, even ones with fewer followers than mine, I see a slew of comments on each post. Why are my posts not receiving comments? Hmm. . . Being trained in data-driven education, I can infer that people are less likely to comment if they so nobody else is commenting, and they are more likely to comment if they see it’s what everyone else is doing. Perhaps I have not done my part as the blog host to create a culture of commenting.
Why does it matter? Because comments are fun. They give me motivation and push my creativity. The also give me valuable feedback about how my recipes turn out in YOUR kitchens. They also show which recipes you guys are more interested in, and which you couldn’t care less about. This is all valuable data for me.
So here’s the contest.
For every FIVE comments that you post on ANY recipe/post (including the Oatmeal Enthusiast series, Saturday round ups, and Weekend Musings) between TODAY and November 14th at 11:59 PM EST, you will receive one point.
The commenter with the most points will get to be the final Oatmeal Enthusiast of 2015 (the coveted December slot!) . . . even if you’ve already been one!
Rules:
- Your comments may not be spam in nature. This includes copy-and-pasting identical or near-identical comments on multiple posts. Give me authentic comments, please.
- “Throwaway comments” will not be counted. A throwaway comment is something with minimal meaning, like “Cool!” or “Interesting!” I am looking for engagement. The definition of engage is to “occupy, attract, or involve someone’s interest or attention.” “Cool” is not attracting anyone’s interest. Here are some exemplary comments:
As you can see from the last example, they need not be lengthy, but Cassie was explicitly responding to the conversation within the post. - All eligible comments (see rules 1 and 2) posted between NOW and Nov. 14th at 11:59 PM EST will be counted. Five eligible comments = 1 point!
- Make sure you post under the same name/account each time, as that is how I will track who is commenting. (Yes, I’m doing this manually–yippee!) Anonymous posts will not be counted. Consider using your last initial if you think it will help with identification.
- Responding to other readers’ comments also counts.
Here are some tips for getting started:
- Obviously, comment on new posts as they come out. Let me know what you think of the recipe idea. However, my favorite comments are your thoughts on the oatmeal after you’ve actually made it. Here’s an example of my favorite kind of comment (although I don’t expect every comment to be of this caliber!):
- Look back at your favorite recipes on the site and leave a note telling me why/how much you like it.
- Leave a comment on a recipe telling how you adapted it to suite your taste/dietary preferences.
- Leave a comment on an Oatmeal Enthusiast post sharing how you can relate to their story.
- Leave a comment on a “Weekend Musings” post sharing additional tips that I may have missed, or anecdotes that relate to mine.
- Leave a comment on a post requesting more of that kind of recipe. For example, I don’t have a lot of recipes with plums. If you love plums, tell me on a plum recipe that you’d like to see more plum recipes in the future!
Ready . . . set . . . COMMENT!
You have until Nov. 14th at 11:59 PM. 🙂
Mojito Overnight Oatmeal
Once upon a time, in my blog’s infancy, I made Strawberry Mojito Oatmeal. Not many are brave enough to try it. After all, it includes a little banana, yet I try to convince you it’s undetectable beneath the lime and mint flavor. I stand by that claim, but this time I took a different approach.
First of all, this is an overnight recipe, so you enjoy it cold, like you would an actual mojito. Second of all, I went with grated zucchini instead of banana . . . because you guys LOVE zucchini in your oatmeal. Yes, I hear you. You love your #zoats.
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POSTED IN: berries, citrus, cocktail lovers, herbs, mint, overnight oats, strawberries, veggies, zucchini
POSTED IN: berries, citrus, cocktail lovers, herbs, mint, overnight oats, strawberries, veggies, zucchini
Papaya Blueberry Oatmeal
After successfully creating my Papaya, Lime, & Coconut Overnight Oatmeal, I reveled in my accomplishments for a few days. But then, suddenly, I realized I had to do something with the rest of that papaya. Some of it went into the freezer to make sorbet (which was delicious), but the rest waited for me in a Tupperware container. I was desperate to use it up, mostly because it was hogging an annoying amount of space in my New York City-sized refrigerator.
I also happened to have a large pint of blueberries on hand. I don’t trust berries, so whenever I have them, I try to use them as fast as possible. Thus, this combo was born. It’s not the most inspiring tale, but it’s the final result that matters. (more…)
Oatmeal Enthusiast: Meet Wendy!
Although I often resort to Instagram to find my Enthusiasts (so many beautiful pictures to choose from!!), I occasionally stumble upon other readers and oatmeal lovers that I simply must invite into the Enthusiast club. Such is the case with Wendy. This “traveling vegan” was constantly commenting on my posts and tweeting my recipes on Twitter. Not only was she a BA vegan traveler, but she liked my recipes! She did a great guest post this summer, but I always knew I wanted to invite her back to be an Oatmeal Enthusiast. So here we go . . .
Hello fellow oatmeal lovers! My name is Wendy Werneth, and I’m thrilled to be back here at the Oatmeal Artist. And this time with the extra honour of being chosen by Lauren as the Oatmeal Enthusiast of the Month! If you caught my guest post “How to Make Oatmeal Anywhere” back in June, then you already know that I love to travel. I mean, I really love to travel. When you add it all up, I’ve spent about five years on the road and have so far visited nearly 100 countries.
My love affair with oatmeal is more recent and really only flourished in the last year or so. It was part of a general interest in healthier eating, which ultimately led me to adopt a vegan lifestyle. I was hesitant to make that leap at first because I thought being vegan would make travel difficult, but it hasn’t! In fact the truth is, it has made travel even more fun.
I love seeking out naturally vegan foods wherever I go, and it really gives me the chance to delve deep into the local cuisine and food culture of the places I visit. Eager to show the rest of the world how wonderfully fulfilling vegan travel can be, I started my own blog, The Nomadic Vegan, where you can follow my adventures and get insider tips on the best vegan dining experiences around the world. If you have any questions about travel as a vegan, please get in touch, I’d love to help!
I have to admit that when it comes to oatmeal I’m generally not as adventurous as I am in my travels – I usually just make one of Lauren’s recipes for my daily bowl of oats. For my week as Oatmeal Enthusiast though, I thought it would be fun to make recipes highlighting some of the countries I’ve travelled to, using ingredients typically used in those countries’ cuisines.
So pack your bags, because we’re about to take off on a whirlwind tour of oatmeal around the world!
Monday: Italian Oatmeal
This savoury bowl of steel-cut oats flavoured with tomato paste is chock full of some of my favourite Mediterranean ingredients: artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes and black olives, with pine nuts sprinkled on top. It’s like a gourmet pizza in a bowl! (more…)
Do You *Need* to Cook Oatmeal in Milk?
Yes, I’m a strictly dairy-free herbivore. However, I chose to make my blog as welcoming to all diets and lifestyles as possible. Thus, this post includes information on cow’s milk as well as plant-based milks.
Let’s talk milk.
And I promise to be as objective as possible because I’m a loving and tolerant vegan.
You see, when I first started The Oatmeal Artist, I was a vegetarian. A lactose intolerant vegetarian, but a vegetarian nevertheless. I drank almond milk (occasionally soy) at home, but wasn’t against using cow’s milk when I cooked at my parents’ home.
As a college student, I found almond milk expensive. It “appeared” similar to the cost of cow’s milk, except it comes in a 1/2 gallon size, thus making it deceptively pricier. This was in 2011 and in rural South Dakota, when (and where) the demand for nondairy milk was still low. To save money, I never made oatmeal entirely with milk. My method was always 1/2 almond milk, 1/2 water. Because of this, I had the benefit of creamy almond milk, but my 1/2 gallon carton lasted twice as long. This is why every recipe details that I mixed milk and water.
Since those days, I have learned several important points about milk vs. water. *Note: when I say “milk,” I mean any type of milk: plant-based or not.* (more…)
Papaya Lime & Coconut Overnight Oatmeal
Well, I owe you all a huge thanks for this one. I seriously couldn’t have done it without you.
I have minimal experience with papaya. Since I love mango and pineapple, I just assumed papaya would be like that. One day back in my Newark life, my roommate and I bought a tub of pre-cut papaya. We were so stoked to bring it home and try it.
Ugh, what a disappointment. Maybe it was because it was pre-cut (and thus not “fresh”). Maybe it was because I expected it to taste like mango. Maybe it wasn’t totally ripe when it was cut. Or perhaps I just had really picky tastebuds at the time. (The last option is a definite possibility.)
But now, back to 2015, I made this:
And it was spectacular. (more…)
Peach Poppy Seed Overnight Oatmeal
I know. . . I’ve been pumping out a lot of “fancy” recipes lately. Everything involves blenders or fancy equipment or annoying cooking techniques or expensive ingredients.
But this one’s simple. Super simple.
The beauty behind a recipe like this is that you can top it with anything. Sure, I kept it basic for the photoshoot, but a humble peach + poppy seed base allows for a multitude of unique toppings. So often I resort to my banana base, but here is another base that is equally adaptive. (more…)
Weekend Musings: Back to School! Oatmeal for Kids
Consider this the “Weekend Musings: Back to School Edition.”
I reached out to various readers with children (including my own sister) for how they feed their kids with oats. I asked for anything: stories, tips, recipes. This is what I have for you. 🙂
– Creamy Oatmeal Base:
2 cups milk (I almost always use almond milk, but have used coconut milk and very rarely, I use cow milk.), 3/4 cup of quick oats. This serves 3 people. For every additional person at the table I add 1/4 cup oats and a 1/2 cup of milk. I use quick oats because I have a toddler who wakes up hungrier than a raptor and I just can’t wait more than 5 minutes to give him breakfast! I put the oats and milk into a pot, crank it to boil, and stir. When it’s boiled for 3-5 minutes, I remove from stove. This is when you can stir in any flavourings or toppings! Enjoy!
-An Oatmeal Bar. . .
. . .works really well for guests or picky eaters. Make a base oatmeal and set out “toppings” and sweetener. I make a creamy oatmeal base and then set out honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar for the sweetener. Then for toppings I put graham crumbs, peanut butter, cocoa powder, coconut, Oreo crumbles, bananas, peaches, cherries, raspberries, and blueberries (mostly whatever fruit is in season, or frozen/thawed fruit in winter).
Related post: Check out this post on how to
make 4 different oatmeals from one pot!
Spiced Apple Oatmeal with Tahini & Honey
I’ll start with my usual disclosure for the vegan police: yep, honey. As I always say, I’m “one of those vegans”–go ahead and berate me in the comments. I’ve received more hate from YouTube trolls and sixth graders misbehaving in the hallway than you can imagine. I can most certainly handle your lambasting. I briefly discuss my views on honey on my Plant Proud! page.
Alright, good. We’re past that. Moving on.
So my first attempt at tahini was not the groundbreaking experience I had hoped for. As it turns out, tahini is not peanut butter. It is not rich like peanut butter. It is not warm and cozy like peanut butter. It is neither sweet nor salty like peanut butter. In fact, it’s pretty darn bitter. It’s kind of like creamy sesame oil with a bitter aftertaste.
(I’ve totally convinced you to try it, right?) (more…)
