My mouth is on fire from this one!
To tell the truth, I don’t know much about Cajun cuisine. It’s not exactly a cuisine that Midwesterners ever experience, sadly (we fear cayenne pepper), and it’s not the most vegetarian-friendly cuisine, either. However, I recently discovered Cajun seasoning, and I love it. I made these awesome crunchy Cajun tofu sticks once, and they were so great . . .
My kitchen tends to be a veganized zone (as long as you don’t count my brother’s groceries! The cheddar slices and turkey are his, I promise!), so it’s not surprising that the majority of my oatmeal recipes follow suit. In general, they use nondairy milks and no eggs, and I only use honey from time to time, usually as an optional topping (like in my favorite grapefruit oatmeal). In other words, if they are not vegan, they can easily be made vegan.
Except this one. And I apologize for that. (UPDATE: Psst….here’s a vegan version!)
This recipe is unique in that the bulk of the flavor is happening above the oatmeal, instead of within it. Obviously, many fellow oatmeal lovers have been doing this for ages, but it was my first time. 🙂
I created a rather neutral-flavored oatmeal, which I found enjoyable to balance out the tartness of the strawberries and yogurt. However, if you try this out, you may find it necessary to add more honey to the oatmeal itself, or even to stir in some of the yogurt so the flavor is more balanced throughout the bowl. It’s your breakfast–do what you want! 😉
Who says gingerbread lattes are only for wintertime?
It hit me like a jar of coconut oil–latte oatmeals! Coffee oatmeals! Mocha oatmeals! This recipe for gingerbread latte oatmeal is actually just ONE of DOZENS of ideas I have using coffee as the liquid base. I am so excited to share with you all my ideas! I seriously cannot post fast enough.
I didn’t check my email the entire time I was gone, and I was so pleased to come home to so many new blog comments, as well as my lemon poppy seed oatmeal being posted on Healthy Aperture! Hurray!
Can you guess what I missed the most while I was gone?
Yep, oatmeal. I felt like something was missing from my life every single morning. Naturally, the first thing I did upon arriving back at my apartment in South Dakota was whip up a bowl of grapefruit oatmeal, using the grapefruit I bought from the farmer’s market in Poway!
I’m continuing to work on updating all the pictures in my blog posts. You may notice that the older ones have far worse quality than the newer ones. 🙂 Since getting home last night, I’ve already updated the pictures for grapefruit oatmeal and chocolate strawberry oatmeal.
I’m also planning on including ingredients lists in my recipes. I’ve put it off for a while, but I feel like it’s necessary, especially with my more complex recipes.
And finally, I have an extensive list of new recipes to try! I also have a savory oatmeal recipe coming in the very near future. Get excited! 😉
I will never, ever, ever think that frozen fruit compares to fresh fruit, especially when it comes to oatmeal. However, I like to always keep some on hand because you never know when it will come in handy.
Like today, for instance. I’m actually jetting off to visit a friend across the country for the week (post-graduation present to myself), so the last thing I should do right now is go to the grocery store and stock up on produce. Instead, I’m trying to finish up all the food that I have (or freeze it) so that I don’t come back to moldy bread and rotten berries.
I always, always, have sliced bananas stocked in the freezer, but sometimes I keep a supply of blueberries or raspberries in there as well (but never strawberries. Frozen strawberries are the worst). Today, with no other fresh fruit available to me, I was able to grab that bag of raspberries and make a delicious (and deliciously pink) bowl of oatmeal.
If you can believe it, I didn’t try lemon poppy seed until I got to college. In my depression/identity crisis, I basically ate my feelings, so I made frequent trips to the on-campus eateries throughout the day. One of the treats I became addicted to was the lemon poppy seed bread. It was dense, chilled, and super sweet.
When I started eating oatmeal the following year, I initially set out to recreate dessert recipes. I tried banana bread, carrot cake, cheesecake, french toast, and chocolate chip. Basically, oatmeal was my attempt to make dieting suck less (before I discovered whole foods).
Considering my love for peanut butter, it’s no surprise that it frequently finds its way into my oatmeal! I was editing my 3 Basic Oatmeal Recipes post this morning, and I was baffled at how to display all the possibilities for peanut butter oatmeal without it being cluttered and confusing. Finally, I realized it deserved its own page. Think of all the variations I’ve created!
Here is a list of possible variations for my basic peanut butter oatmeal:
Chunky vs. Creamy:
The most obvious variation is to experiment with both chunky and creamy nut butters. I normally buy creamy PB, but chunky PB is exceptional in oatmeal! Give it a shot!
Peanut Butter & Banana:
Add a mashed banana (or half of one) after adding the oats, OR add banana butter when serving.
PB&J:
Stir in jam or jelly while the oatmeal is cooking OR drizzle/whirl it into the top of the oatmeal when serving. You could also make it with banana or apple.
PB2:
Whisk in 2 tbsp of PB2 before your liquid begins to boil for an extra flavor boost.
Honey-Nut:
Drizzle honey generously when serving. You could also add apples!
Not Peanut Butter:
Try using almond, cashew, or any other nut butter in place of the peanut butter.
Chocolate Peanut Butter:
Use a chocolate PB (like this one, or even something like Nutella), OR add 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder in place of the cinnamon.
I’m extremely picky about my teas. If it’s weak and boring, get it out of my sight. However, if it’s too strong and the flavors are super intense, I’m not a fan of that, either.
This makes purchasing new teas extremely risky. They come in packs of twenty, so if I end up not liking it–too bad! I still have nineteen more. Luckily, I’ve developed ways to use up the teas I don’t like.
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Which is why I’m sharing this recipe for Gingerbread Oatmeal with you. I tinkered with my own recipe for a while, adjusting the spices and such. I tried with banana, and I tried without. I tried with more molasses, and I tried with less. I tried with mild, and I tried with blackstrap.
Alas, I gave up and did some Googling. I knew I had seen Gingerbread Oatmeal recipes before, so maybe comparing my recipe with someone else’s would help me figure out what was wrong.
Instead, I found a recipe on one of my favorite blogs that was extremely similar to my own, with minor adjustments. As I compared the two recipes, I realized, “Why post my own recipe? Don’t reinvent the wheel.”
So instead, I’ll send you over to Vegan Yack Attack for the recipe! Enjoy! 🙂
I’m really proud of this. Like, insanely proud. But before I tell you what it is (and, more importantly, how to make it), I have to tell you a story of how I created it…
It all started with quiche. (Just go with it, okay?)
I was in western Ireland, sitting on a patio outside a cafe at Kylemore Abbey. The weather was unusually warm and sunny, and we had the rare pleasure of enjoying our lunch outside in the beautiful weather, along with a perfect view of the neo-Gothic castle across the lake.
