Popular Porridges
Tag Archives: guest post
Oatmeal Enthusiast: Meet Victoria!
I have actually known Victoria for a while now. I met her when she lived in New York for a while, and she recently did a guest post for Sweet Potato and Date Oatmeal. Considering how beautiful her oatmeal is, it’s about time she gets the well-deserved opportunity to be October’s Oatmeal Enthusiast! Yay!
Hello everyone !!
My name is Victoria (@healthymonkey_ on Instagram), I’m 19 and I’m thrilled to be your oatmeal enthusiast this month! I’d like to thank Lauren, because not only has she asked me to write this post during my favorite time of the year (yep, cold weather fan right here), but she’s been an inspiration for my daily bowl of oats for the past two years!
So here’s a little more about me, I recently moved from France to Canada where I am now studying International Development, Anthropology (Omgg this is an amazing subject to study, I highly recommend!) and environment at McGill University. I’m absolutely loving it here; Montreal is such a nice city, and winter being my favorite season, I am beyond excited to finally put my rain boots back on and have snow on my doorstep in a few months’ time .
I also live with my cat, Dartagnan, the cutest little fur ball I’ve ever seen (yes I’m a proud crazy cat lady, but we all know they make, hands down, the best companions ever, so no shame whatsoever).
Anyway, I’m rambling here. We’re here for oatmeal, right?
So my love story with oatmeal started on my path to becoming a vegan and wanting to get healthier, well, just healthy given my past. This was two years ago and I’ve been totally addicted since. Lauren’s posts were the best thing that had ever happened to my breakfasts. It actually got me into cooking, baking and all that fun stuff.
The reason why I fell in love with oats is because of its versatility. You can literally make everything you want with it.
A funny thing I noticed while I was learning Spanish abroad, is how your breakfast can seem extremely unappealing when you explain it to people who’ve never tried it before (and particularly to those who usually eat processed stuff for breakfast, if any). When you start learning a new language, you usually begin with simple conversations like “What did you have for breakfast!?”. And so you try to explain. With basic words. In a foreign tongue. That makes for very confused and skeptical faces from the person you’re talking to, I’m telling you. To be fair, oats and water (or even plant-based milk), a banana and some cinnamon, doesn’t sound really appetizing, I’ll admit.
That’s the only problem with oatmeal, you can NEVER do justice to oatmeal, unless you have an Instagram worthy picture of it, then people start to believe it actually tastes good.
So here’s a week worth of oatmeal in Instagram worthy pictures so you can actually believe oatmeal is delicious. But I guess we’re all oatmeal lovers here so we don’t really need further proof of how incredible oatmeal is.
(Note that I used “oatmeal” 4 times in just two sentences. Can’t-Get-Enough.)
Warning : I’ve been extremely addicted to peanut butter lately.
Monday : Banana-cacao oatmeal
This was a post-workout breakfast, I wanted something quick but still delicious so this did the trick, basic banana oatmeal with a cacao twist! Cooked in half water/half almond milk, some cinnamon because even with cacao I can’t help myself, a mashed (over-overripe haha) banana and I added raw cacao powder at the end of the cooking process! It was a rainy and gloomy day so picture’s not that good but I promise the oatmeal was ! And I may or may not have thrown some PB in…
Tuesday : Apple Pie Oatmeal
I had made homemade applesauce just a few days before so apple pie oats seemed a good idea for a chilly morning just before school. This is one of my favorite recipes ever, I got it from Angela Liddon, the amazing cook behind the Oh She Glows blog and cookbook (cookbook you should definitely buy btw!). This recipe features diced apple, applesauce, almond milk, spices and chia seeds which give it an incredible texture. I really recommend!
Wednesday : Banana-Cinnamon Oatmeal
This is pretty basic I know, but sometimes all you want is cool toppings, right? Cinnamon and banana oatmeal is still the bomb.com don’t get me wrong, but I was feeling like peanut butter in my oatmeal, and strawberries, and banana, chia seeds too, but that was more for the aesthetic haha #thethingsyoudoforInstagram Anyway, this didn’t disappoint, and curiously, cinnamon and PB is super good!
Thursday : Stewed Date and Apple oatmeal
Okay so you’ve got to try this! I’m serious. This oatmeal was born out of despair (don’t ask me why because now that I think about it, I actually had amazing ingredients). I had just arrived in Montreal, and my dad and I were in an Airbnb apartment. Breakfast time arrived and the only ingredients I had were dates, apples, dark chocolate and peanut butter. You’d think those couldn’t go together in the same bowl (…or, maybe yes…) but I tried anyway just for the sake of experiment. And boy! I’m glad I did! So, you stew a diced apple and date pieces in a saucepan until it’s kind of mushy and smells amazing, and in the meantime you cook your oats (add some more date pieces there!). When this is all done, pour oatmeal in a bowl, and top with the stewed apple/date mix, peanut butter and dark chocolate! And voilà ! Delicious.
Friday : Banana oatmeal with maple-nut sauce
Again here, it was mostly about the toppings. The most important one being the maple-nut sauce. I discovered it here on The Oatmeal Artist, I usually put it on my pancakes, and also usually do it properly by making the peanut butter melt in a sauce pan but I was feeling very lazy so that part went a little out the window. I love this sauce though! Maple syrup + peanut butter is a match made in heaven ! But don’t be lazy like me and make it on the stove top it’s worth the extra dish to clean!
Saturday : Grated apple oatmeal with berry coulis
This was actually lunch, but I mean, oatmeal is so good I could have it three times a day so who cares. For this one, I was inspired by Deliciously Ella. She had posted that same day a recipe with berry coulis on top of oatmeal so I thought I’d give it a shot. I must admit I’m actually not a fan of berries in oatmeal because it gives it an acidic taste but this was good, can’t compete with a creamy oatmeal though, but that’s just my taste.
Sunday : SWEET POTATO FUDGE OATMEAL
All time favorite. Hands down. I just HAD to end the week with this. It’s insane how good this oatmeal is and I will never thank Lauren enough for creating the recipe.
Let me emphasize this again. BEST. OATMEAL. EVER.
Learn more information about the Oatmeal Enthusiast series and how you could be featured by reading more here.
Cookies and Cream Overnight Oats [Guest Post]
TOA: Special shout out to Kelsey! She suggested making a cookies and cream overnight oatmeal, and I said her idea sounded brilliant and she should try it out herself. Being fantastic, she went to work right away and delivered this perfect recipe. I can’t wait to try it in my kitchen!
Hi there!
My name is Kelsey; I’m a math grad student at the University of Virginia and a major oatmeal fanatic. Before we get to the recipe, let me just say that I am so excited to be writing this guest post. I’m a big fan of the blog, so rest assured there was some major fangirling going on when Lauren brought up the possibility of writing this post.
My story is very similar to hers (digestive issues, transition to veganism, cutting out almost all added sugar, etc.), so I’ve always really related to the content on the blog. Oatmeal is one of my main creative outlets as far as food is concerned so I really love experimenting with new ingredients and flavor combos.
The newest flavor oatmeal in my life is Cookies and Cream. It plays off of Lauren’s faux-reo PB2 recipe, which is basically oreo cookie butter, and employs overnight oats, my new go-to afternoon snack. (more…)
Glühwein (Mulled Wine) Oatmeal [Guest Post]
Hi oatmeal lovers! I am back in New York City after a three-week excursion to visit friends and family. If you’ve been following the blog, you know that I’ve been featuring many guest posts to keep the blog active throughout the summer despite my travels. Although I’ve been eating simple oatmeal every morning, I didn’t really have time to create new recipes, make them look pretty, and take nice pictures of them. So I outsourced. 😉 I found Tiffany’s “Glühwein” (aka mulled wine) Oatmeal on Instagram and thought it was brilliant.
Vanilla Cappuccino Zoats [Guest Post]
Good morning, oatmeal lovers! Today marks my first day back home in NYC (it’s great to be back!), and I have been so appreciative of everyone who has helped me keep the blog active with fantastic recipes while I’ve been traveling. This recipe comes to us from Taigen, the Oatmeal Enthusiast from July. The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted to see the recipe for myself and to share it with my readers. Luckily for all of us, she said yes!
Hi guys! I am so happy to be back! And thank you to Lauren for asking me to share one of my zoat recipes with you – I hope you all like it!
So, I have never been a massive coffee drinker. When I use to have it, it was for that earthy fresh smell, the sweet flavours (vanilla or hazelnut every time) and the sensation of holding warmth. I love the taste of coffee, but that hasn’t ever translated to loving it as a drink.
One morning I woke up craving coffee and a bit of a ‘kick’ to start the day. It then occurred to me that I could put coffee in my daily oats and just eat it instead. So that’s exactly what I did.
This has been one of my favourite coffee-oat creations to date. The use of vanilla protein powder gives it a sweetened edge that I love. (more…)
Blueberry and Basil Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Roasted Pecans [Guest Post]
Hello, TheOatmealArtist readers! It’s Monica from My Pink Recipe Book again, back to share another oatmeal recipe, this time for a Blueberry and Basil Steel Cut Oatmeal with Roasted Pecans. Being a full-time med student, my food-focus is typically quick and easy, while always being healthy and full of nutrient-dense ingredients. Thus, oats are a very common staple in my diet.
My love for combining fruits and herbs all started with a Strawberry and Basil smoothie I made at the beginning of this summer. Realizing what a fantastic pairing they were, I vowed to create more recipes pairing fruits and herbs. One evening, as I was pondering what to have for my breakfast the next morning, I glanced over, and similarly to Lauren, spotted my basil plant by my window. (aside: my too has since withered away) Immediately, I knew I wanted to make a steel cut oatmeal in the morning that would pair well with this delicious, slightly sweet and licorice-tasting herb.
Since I had tried strawberries already and knew they were a winner, I thought to venture out to more berries and include blueberries instead. Since I like to keep my breakfasts high in protein, I tossed in a generous amount of chopped pecans. Topping this oatmeal dish off with a drizzle of honey made it feel almost like a dessert, but knowing how healthy it really was made it that much more enjoyable to eat.
To get the recipe, head on over to my blog and read more about the Blueberry and Basil Steel Cut Oatmeal with Roasted Pecans.
Four-Ingredient Fudgy Oat Bars [Guest Post]
You may remember Monica from her guest post a few weeks ago, Strawberry and Chamomile Steel-Cut Oatmeal. We realized we were doing our summer traveling around the same time and decided to help each other out by doing some recipe swaps. By the time this post is published, I will be flying to Seattle. In the meantime, enjoy this delightful recipe by Monica!
Hello Oatmeal Artist Readers! It’s Monica from My Pink Recipe Book posting again and I am very excited to be sharing another recipe with all of you. This one features oatmeal in bar-form rather than my previous seasonal steel cut oatmeal recipe, and it is a little more on the treat-side of breakfast dishes, but still better than run-of-the-mill granola bars. (more…)
Strawberry and Chamomile Steel-Cut Oatmeal [Guest Post]
Happy Friday, and happy early July 4th to my American readers. I’m busy unpacking from my move to a new apartment this week, and to keep the blog from being silent this week, I recruited some fantastic blog readers to share their own recipes with you. THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered to help out, and thank you to Monica for submitting this gorgeous recipe for me to post today.
Hello all, my name is Monica and I am from the new food blog, My Pink Recipe Book. I am very honoured to be writing as a guest blog here on the Oatmeal Artist, a blog that I have turned to quite a few times for tasty breakfast inspirations. Today I am sharing with you a very seasonal steel cut oatmeal recipe, featuring loads of strawberries and fresh chamomile (with the option of dried chamomile as well).
Over the past year, one of my favourite weekend activities has become visiting my local Farmer’s Markets in Toronto. With all the gorgeous seasonal produce, I find myself creating recipes on my way home, practically jogging to get into the kitchen and start testing them out. This oatmeal was one of those recipes, inspired by the gorgeous chamomile flowers and luscious strawberries I picked up last Saturday. It is a little unique because instead of adding chopped strawberries at the end, you actually add them right at the beginning so that your oats cook in the strawberry juices instead of only water. The result makes me feel like I’m eating a strawberry pie for breakfast.
The chamomile is very delicate, and the crunchy pistachios match perfectly with the existing flavours. Topping it off with some honey tames the slight tartness the strawberries provide, leaving you with a real treat for your breakfast. I hope you all enjoy this oatmeal as much as I do.
Strawberry and Chamomile Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Roasted Pistachios
What you'll need:
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 2 cups water
- 1 pint strawberries, chopped
- 2/3 cups pistachios
- 1 bunch fresh chamomile flowers (about 20 flowers), or 1/2 tbsp dried chamomile
- 2 tbsp honey
- optional: 1 tbsp bee pollen
How to make it:
- Preheat the oven to 300 F (for the pistachios).
- Add oats, water, and sliced strawberries to a pot to bring to a boil.
- While the mixture is heating, mash the strawberries in the pot to help release their juices.
- Add the chamomile petals and yellow centre (avoid the green stem), or the dried chamomile, to the pot.
- Cook oats as normal at this point, until achieving your desired steel cut oats consistency
- While the oats are cooking, bake the pistachios for 20 minutes.
- Portion the oatmeal into two bowls, topping each with 1/3 cup of pistachios, a generous drizzle of honey, and optional sprinkling of bee pollen.
(Coconut) Bacon and Banana Oatmeal [Guest Post]
Happy Wednesday, friends. I’m currently moving to a new apartment for the fourth year in a row–blegh! To keep the blog from being silent this week, I recruited some fantastic blog readers to share their own recipes with you. THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered to help out, and thank you to Katya for putting all of this together in ONE day. You rock!
Hellooooo there Oatmeal lovers!
My name is Katya, and I am honoured to contribute to Lauren’s fabulous oatmeal recipe haven.
Bit about me: I’m a recent high school grad from Canada that will “jump over the pond” so to speak, to go to university in London come the fall. Even though I’d love to study nutrition or if it were a course, veganism, I’m taking courses to attain a BA in international relations. A fun fact about me is that I lived in Iceland for 3 years, and I am fluent in Icelandic.
Now, you may have seen the combination of flavours in this oatmeal and thought “What the heck is she thinking?!?!” and I’m here to tell you that this recipe is one of those where you have to try it before you place judgment.
We’ve all accustomed ourselves to certain weird/strange combinations, for instance: pickles and peanut butter, French fries dipped in chocolate milkshakes, pickle brine and vodka (yes it’s true— its called a ‘pickle-tini’)* and even the strangest I’ve heard: banana and mayonnaise in a sandwich. . . So, using these as proof of bizarre combinations working, I’d like to introduce you to a new combo: Banana and (Coconut) Bacon!
*Lauren feels the need to interject here and say that pickle brine is better with WHISKEY. Do it right, people. Shot of whiskey + pickle juice chaser = pickleback, and it’s glorious.
It really shouldn’t work, as one is sweet—the other salty, however when both are mixed into wonderfully creamy oatmeal, they form a (excuse the cheesiness of this) melodic harmony of flavours.
Without further ado, here’s the recipe for coconut bacon n’ banana oatmeal!
Katya B.
(Coconut) Bacon and Banana Oatmeal [Guest Post]
What you'll need:
- ½ c. Rolled oats
- 1 c. Almond milk (or an alternative non-dairy milk)
- ½ a banana – slightly roasted for about 10 minutes at 350 F
- A pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp. coconut bacon recipe (see below)
- 1 c. Unsweetened coconut flakes (ideally, or in my case—shredded coconut)
- 1 tbsp. tamari/soy sauce
- 2 tsp. liquid smoke
- 2 tsp. pancake/maple syrup
Ingredients for oatmeal:
Coconut Bacon:
How to make it:
- Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, line a sheet pan with parchment
- Put coconut, tamari/soy sauce, liquid smoke and pancake syrup in a bowl, mix well until fully combined.
- Spread onto sheet pan, leave in the oven for 10-14 minutes, checking regularly for “doneness”
- Roast banana at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes in the oven.
- Put almond milk into a saucepan, when boiling, add oats and turn down the heat.
- Mash roasted banana and add to cooking oats. Add the salt, and 1 tbsp. coconut bacon.
- Mix well, and taste.
- Once oats have soaked up all of the milk, pour into a bowl, top with the remaining coconut bacon and enjoy!
Directions for making coconut bacon:
Directions for oatmeal assembly
Sweet Potato and Date Oatmeal [Guest Post]
[The following post and recipe was submitted by reader Victoria.]
Hi everyone!
My name is Victoria, I’m French and currently taking a gap year, first in NY (where I met Lauren [picture below!]) and now in Barcelona, before starting university at McGill in September in Montreal. I am also the girl behind the food here —> @healthymonkey_ ! (more…)
Lentil PB Fudge Overnight Oats [Guest Post]
[The following post and recipe was submitted by reader Helen.]
Oatmeal is the only thing which gets me out of bed in the morning. In the cold winter months, (we have 12 here in Scotland), a big bowl of porridge is the perfect antidote to the dreary weather outside. My only issue with oatmeal is that despite keeping me feeling full for much longer than cereal, I normally still get hungry around 11am unless I bulk it up with something. Normally I use sweet potato, as it thickens up overnight oats and for chocolatey porridges makes them taste rich and fudgy. However, recently I have including a new addition… Lentils!
Like sweet potatoes, the lentils make your overnight oats thick and fudgy. They are also massively sustaining, containing three times the fibre and six times the protein of sweet potatoes! The best thing about the lentils is that they completely blend in with the other ingredients in the oatmeal in same way that the sweet potatoes do. You’d never know they were there!
