Grapefruit Overnight Oatmeal

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Lauren Smith

I’m still disappointed that my Grapefruit-Coconut Oatmeal recipe isn’t more popular. How many glittering reviews do I have to give it before people try it out? What I love about it most is that the oatmeal and coconut milk mellow out the bite of the grapefruit, leaving you with just the sweet, citrusy flavor of the grapefruit. No bitterness! The only thing I don’t like about it is the prep work; segmenting grapefruits is such a bother.

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Well, here’s a way to save some time. You can do the prep work the night before, and you’ll be able to wake up to delicious grapefruit oatmeal in the morning without dirtying a knife!
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Berry Chocolate Crunch Oatmeal

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Lauren Smith

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, taste buds!
For I ne’er tasted true beauty till this week.

Sweetest pepitas…

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If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To EAT YOU.

I know I’m being incredibly overdramatic, but my confession must capture the scale of my new infatuation. This past weekend (thanks to my mother’s birthday present), I tried pepitas for the first time. I’ve had “roasted pumpkin seeds” before, but they were nothing like “pepitas.” You would think they would be equally wonderful (considering pepitas are pumpkin seeds), but there is definitely a difference, the first being that pepitas are as glorious to this night as is a winged messenger of heaven, and “roasted pumpkin seeds” are just a big pile of “meh.”
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Irish Soda Bread Baked Oatmeal

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Lauren Smith

I normally don’t get into “holiday recipes.” In fact, I can barely tolerate visiting my favorite sites (FoodGawker, TasteSpotting, and FindingVegan) during major holidays because I find them almost nauseating. I used to think Valentine’s Day was the worst, but now I’m starting to think St. Patrick’s Day might be. I mean, what’s with everything being dyed fluorescent green?

But alas, here I am, joining the club:

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When I think of my time in Ireland, I think of soda bread. (Okay, and muesli…) For those of you who have never had authentic soda bread (not sweet, not cake-like, not made with white flour), soda bread is a wonderful treat for any time of the day. It’s best as a side with some SOUP (soup and soda bread made up about 50% of my diet during my time overseas), but it’s also lovely at breakfast. With jam or butter, it was a hearty start to the day, worlds better than a slice of toasted WonderBread.
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Apricot Granola Oatmeal

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Lauren Smith

Prepare yourself for a whole lot of dried fruit craziness coming your way. Remember the box of goodies my mom sent me before my birthday? Well, she apparently decided that wasn’t enough, and she shipped an even BIGGER box of treats last week. I guess the first box was my “pre-birthday gift,” and the second one was the “belated birthday gift.” Either way, THANK YOU, MOM!!!The second box contains oodles of awesome stuff, from papaya to crystallized ginger. I can’t tell you how excited I am to use them all in oatmeal!

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For my first recipe, I was feeling a little uncreative, so no papaya spears made it into the saucepan. I did, however, use the maple-almond granola my mom sent as a topping! Granola makes a wonderful topping; I also used it on the Loaded PB&J Oatmeal! Some days, you just can’t decide between cold granola and hot porridge, so you have both! 🙂

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Black Forest Cake Overnight Oatmeal

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Lauren Smith

You all said to me that you wanted more overnight oatmeal recipes, and this is one that will start your day right. I mean, what could be better than waking up to a BLACK FOREST CAKE!?

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This recipe was a tough cookie to crack. Much to my disappointment, cherries are not the most flavorful ingredient, especially in its whole form. Their flavor is locked in within that fragile skin.

The first time I made it, I dropped the berries in whole. In the morning, the oatmeal was very flavorless and did not taste at all like a Black Forest Cake. Then, I tried something a little different:  I blended the cherries first, so the oatmeal soaked up “cherry juice,” which gave it much more flavor.
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A Belated Announcement!

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Lauren Smith
Hey everyone!

Something incredibly spectacular happened to me way back in October, but I kept forgetting to post about it! It feels almost foolish to post it now, but it seems more foolish not to share it.

An online journal called The Violet contacted me in September asking if they could feature me and my blog in their Fall 2012 issue. I not-so-hesitantly responded, “YESOMGAREYOUSERIOUS?!”

For the issue, my Sweet Potato and Cranberry Oatmeal is featured in the recipe section, and little ol’ me is featured in a Q&A section a couple pages later. The recipe is on page 52, and my survey is on page 54. Please check it out if you have the time!

Major, major thank you to Molly for giving me this opportunity! Looking back over everything today reminded me just how excited I was back in October when I saw the issue for the first time!

P.S. Sorry for no new recipe this weekend. I was too busy marveling at Greek and Roman statues at the Met. 🙂

(Photo courtesy of my roommate Allison!)

    **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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    Banana Chocolate Chip Oatcakes for One

    Posted on March 7, 2013 by Lauren Smith

    The poll results are in! I must say, when I created the survey, I was nervous. I feared that nobody would respond, and it would remind me to be humble and that nobody actually reads my blog. Much to my delight, I got over 100 responses (the free service caps out at 100)!

    So for you guys, I made these:

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    Orange, Maple, and Pecan Oatmeal

    Posted on March 5, 2013 by Lauren Smith

    I promised you a recipe with oranges, right? Well, here we go!

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    Now, I’ve told you about the list – the lengthy checklist on my iPod of all the oatmeal ideas that I’ve yet to make and post about. The weird thing is, only about half of my recipes actually originate from that list. The rest are born on mornings when I walk in the kitchen, analyze my limited ingredients, and throw something together (exhibit A). This is one of those recipes.

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    Tip: Segmenting Citrus

    Posted on March 2, 2013 by Lauren Smith
    I haven’t done a how-to post in a while, and it occurred to me this morning that I could show you how I segment oranges. It’s something I’ve given instructions on, but never elaborated or shown pictures of, so VOILA, here it is! It’s so easy that I narrowed it down to five steps. 

    And coming later (next week), I’ll provide you another (really delicious!!!) recipe to use these orange segments. 🙂

    1. Cut the orange in half (through its waist, if you will).



    2. Run a small paring knife along both edges of each segment.


    3. Run the knife along the parts of the segments that attach to the white pith (the skin).


    4. Dig out the segment with your knife or with a small spoon.


    5. Place directly into saucepan for cooking or set in a bowl for later!

      **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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      Cream Cheese Oatmeal with Dried Fruit

      Posted on February 28, 2013 by Lauren Smith

      This past weekend, I found myself in the unfortunate situation of being out of fresh fruit. I imagine this is a pretty common problem for some people, so I try to make sure I have a wide variety of oatmeal recipes that can appease the most vacant of pantries!

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      My mom recently sent me a box full of “fancy” dried fruits. By “fancy,” I mean that they are not raisins and bananas. They are the pricier stuff that I can never afford:  pineapple, cherries, and blueberries.

      Using what I had, I threw together this recipe. I thought it sounded unimpressive in my head, but I was shocked at how tasty it was! I had to share it.
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