Stewed Apple Oatmeal…and my blog’s 1st birthday!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Lauren Smith

Good morning, everybody! One year ago today, I announced on my other blog, Books and Broccoli that I had officially created a blog to host all my oatmeal recipes!

If you look at my recipe archive on this site, they actually go back to December of 2011. These are posts I created on “Books and Broccoli” and transferred over when I created the new site. However, the true birthday of “The Oatmeal Artist” happened on April 15th, 2012. My first post was my beloved Almond Joy Oatmeal, which didn’t get posted until the 21st because it was delayed due to my first kidney stone.

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For months, I was thrilled by mild success on Pinterest and Finding Vegan. Getting a comment a few times a month was so exciting! Today, a year later, I’m stunned by my blog’s audience. Each day, I average between 1,500 – 2,500 page views…even when there’s no new post that day! I have 1,700 followers on Pinterest who enthusiastically repin my recipes dozens of times every day. I get at least ten comments a week.

Of course, this is considered pathetic by some blog’s standards (I’m no Smitten Kitchen or Chocolate-Covered Katie), but it still saturates me with pride. It would not be a stretch to say this blog is one of my biggest accomplishments and favorite projects. What you guys need to understand is that I am a “starter.” I “start” projects, and then abandon them two weeks later. This blog continuously rewards me with satisfaction. Three things motivate me: my desire to eat oatmeal 24/7, my competitive nature (I will be the greatest oatmeal blogger OF ALL TIME!), and your wonderful comments! Compared to the aforementioned bloggers, 10 comments a week may be a small amount, but I treasure each of them as if they were each a $50 bill. The comments are easily my favorite part. Please, my lovely readers, keep commenting!

Well, readers, what’s next? I’m happy to let you know that I’m not running out of ideas yet. I still have “The List” on my iPod, and it gets longer every week. I have dozens of ideas for regular stove-top oatmeal, baked oatmeal, toppings for oatmeal, baked goods, overnight oatmeal, and savory oatmeal, and I even have a restaurant review coming your way soon! One year old, still going strong.
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Spiced Plum Overnight Oatmeal

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Lauren Smith

My pear obsession has officially moved on to a plum obsession. Plums are great. They’re smaller than pears and apples, which makes them perfect for snacking. I despise when I eat an apple for a mid-morning snack and it stuffs me so much that I can’t enjoy my lunch! Switching to the humble plum has cured this dilemma.

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In oatmeal, plums taste quite similar to apples. However, plums don’t brown like apples do, so they are much better suited for overnight recipes! To continue the resemblance to apples, I used classic apple pie spices to complement the plums. As you can see from the picture, I topped the final product with granola!
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Oatmeal Recipes for Pecan Lovers!

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Lauren Smith
April 14th (Sunday) is National Pecan Day! I apologize for getting into the food holidays all of a sudden. I’ve always found food holidays to be extremely superfluous and ridiculously silly, yet here I am celebrating two in the same month (earlier this month, I celebrated PB&J day!)

I use pecans frequently to top my oatmeal, especially in Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal or Sweet Potato Pie Oatmeal. However, the following recipes feature pecans as one of the main ingredients, so if you love pecans, try these porridges!

Ohhhhh my goodness! This one is freakishly good! And to think, I
made this on a whim…
The ultimate celebration of pecans. It almost tastes like candy…but without
the gut ache!

That coconut-pecan butter on top is like a FREAKIN’ DREAM.

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!
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Pineapple Cashew Oatmeal

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Lauren Smith

You know what I love? Thai food. I actually didn’t eat much international cuisines in my youth (I was a meat-and-potatoes-only kind of girl), so my experiments have all been recent. I didn’t have Thai for the first time until last May. Oddly enough, the first exposure was in the Denver airport! 🙂 I had some sort of rice dish, and I chose the Thai peanut sauce. That moment, I knew I was meant to love Thai, and I went to my first real Thai restaurant shortly after that.

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What did I choose for my first real Thai dish? Pineapple fried rice. Oddly enough, I detected a maple-ish taste. I was pretty sure there was no maple syrup involved, but I still decided at that moment that I could replicate the flavors of pineapple fried rice using pineapple, maple syrup, cashews, and raisins in oatmeal.
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Lemon Coconut Oatmeal

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Lauren Smith

(Hello from the Minneapolis – St. Paul Airport!)

I still can’t believe I hated coconut my entire life. Now, I worship it! Coconut milk, coconut yogurt, coconut butter, coconut shreds…give me any or all and I’ll be a happy lady!

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Friday morning, I paired it with lemon. The wonderful thing about being at my parents’ house is having access to all my mom’s extracts. She decorates cakes, so her cupboard hosts nearly a dozen different flavors, from mint to cherry. Normally, I use lemon juice for my oatmeal, but for this recipe, I was able to experiment with lemon extract. OH MY GOSH, I loved the result. It has such a bright flavor, like lemon zest instead of just the juice. In fact, I liked it so much that I had it again this morning. Encore, encore!
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Creamy Berry Oatmeal

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Lauren Smith

Hello from South Dakota! I was hoping to throw up tons of new recipes while I was home, but every morning I was just dying to make some of my favorites, like Banana Bread and Grapefruit and Chocolate Banana. I wasn’t in the mood to experiment!

But here’s a new one for you!

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Take your favorite berry (or berries), blend them with some almond milk, and use that fruity puree to cook your oats! Num!
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Oatmeal Recipes to Celebrate Nat’l PB&J Day!

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Lauren Smith
Mark your calendars, fellow oatmeal lovers! Tomorrow, April 2, is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. If you’re reading this after April 2, don’t worry. It’s never too late to celebrate with some rich and creamy nut buttery goodness and sweet fruity jam!

I am ashamed to admit it, but j’adore pb&j so much that I actually order them when I see them on menus. Yes, despite (happily) eating a pb&j sandwich almost every day for lunch, I also (happily) pay $7 for one when I go out to restaurants. It’s a serious flaw in my logic.

Well, it seems at least one other person agrees with me because April 2 is declared Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Let’s pay homage to its greatness! Here are three PB&J recipes to help you celebrate!

PB&J is not just for bananas. And after you try the apple version,
try it with pears!

I highly recommend using the optional banana! The result will
be oh-so-creamy and luscious.

Because everything’s better with granola on top!

P.S. All the above recipes are made using grape jelly, but your favorite variety will probably work just fine. 🙂
    **You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!
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    Blood Orange and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

    Posted on March 29, 2013 by Lauren Smith

    You know those moments in life when you’ve wanted to try something for months, or even years, and you’ve formulated an idea of what it will be like and the sensations it will give you?

    (Okay, that question could get misconstrued quickly. We’re talking about food here!)

    That is how I felt about blood oranges. I had never seen one before, so I definitely hadn’t tasted one. I imagined them bursting with deep, red, juicy flavor, more “berry” in flavor than “citrus.”

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    To be honest, when I finally tried it about a year ago, it let me down. I was disturbed by its bitterness, and turned off by the harsh nuances in its citrusy flavor.

    Of course, with some more exposures, I came to appreciate its unique taste. Plus, similar to grapefruit, blood oranges mellow out once cooked into porridge. It almost does have a berry taste! Win!
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    Grapefruit Avocado Oatmeal

    Posted on March 26, 2013 by Lauren Smith

    Don’t freak out. I know it looks and sounds strange, but…just give it a chance!

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    It’s verging on a savory oatmeal, but it’s definitely still sweet. It’s inspired by one of my favorite salads, grapefruit segments and avocado slices piled on a heap of spinach. Mmmm. If you’re hankering to try savory oats, but are still too scared to make the jump, this might be a good transition recipe for you. The grapefruit is flavorful, but the avocado is rich and creamy. As long as you like avocado (and I really, really do), you’ll enjoy this.
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    Chocolate Banana Overnight Oatmeal

    Posted on March 24, 2013 by Lauren Smith

    I took one of my laziest recipes and made it even lazier! Dirtying a saucepan can be just so tedious. Now you can carelessly toss the ingredients in a jar, shake it up, and wake up to chocolaty oatmeal at 5:30!

    Except you probably don’t have to get up that early. Good for you.

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    I intentionally designed this recipe to be flexible. If you want, you can create this with four ingredients: oats, chocolate milk, banana, and a pinch of salt. However, it doesn’t have to stop there.
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