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Weekend Musings: My Hot Chocolate Recipe! + My Other Favorite Snacks
You all bombarded me with requests for my secret hot chocolate recipe. I stressed over it for days, wondering if it were good enough to share. It felt like this weird thing that I came up with, and I wasn’t sure if it were fit for public consumption (literally and figuratively).
However, I then remembered that I had made it for friends before, and they enjoyed it, so what the heck, right?
And that felt like a great opportunity to discuss my favorite snacks in general. After all, it’s not like I eat oatmeal for every meal. (But sometimes, I come pretty close haha.) (more…)
Irish Tricolor Oatmeal Smoothie Bowl
As I said last week, Ireland has a special place in my heart. During my time in Ireland, I fell in love with the Irish flag, which is called the Irish Tricolor, according to Wikipedia. How original. ???
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POSTED IN: avocado, bananas, citrus, coconut, greens, kiwi, not porridge, pineapple, smoothies, tropical
POSTED IN: avocado, bananas, citrus, coconut, greens, kiwi, not porridge, pineapple, smoothies, tropical
DIY Oat Milk
Many of you may be stunned right now: not only is oat milk a thing that exists, but you can make it yourself!
I bought oat milk one time from my grocery store of choice (Mr. Kiwi’s!) during my former Bed-Stuy life. It has a distinctly thicker texture than most nondairy milks, almost like a creamer.
I’ve wanted to make my own nut/grain/seed milk for a long time, but I kept procrastinating buying a cheesecloth. I finally bought one, and it just made sense to start with oat milk. 😉
What can you do with oat milk? I must say that it is not quite as versatile as soy, almond, or rice milk (there’s a reason those three are so popular!). Here are some tips for how to use it!
- Do NOT use it to make oatmeal. Trust me. It will turn into a gummy, slimey clump. Not pleasant.
- DO use it in smoothies. I like adding oats to smoothies anyway because it cuts the sweetness a bit, and I found the same was true for adding some oat milk. OH! And you can also use the leftover pulp from the oat milk process in your smoothies!
- With the vanilla extract and touch of maple syrup, this oat milk is actually pretty pleasant straight from the glass. Because it’s fresh and homemade, it has a much more pleasant flavor than the milks you would buy from the store.
- Add it to your coffee! I packed some in a mason jar (with a little extra maple syrup and vanilla extract) and brought it to work. After labeling it with my name, I stored it in the workroom fridge for the week and used it to mix in my coffee.
- As an experiment, I left some of my oat milk unsweetened and unflavored. I used it in some savory dishes, like my beloved Happy Herbivore mac and cheese. It worked well in this particular recipe because it naturally thickened when heated, so I didn’t even need the cornstarch!
>>To learn how to make your own oat milk, head on over to SheKnows.com and follow the instructions.<<
Notes: I used cheesecloth instead of a fine mesh sieve.
I divided my milk in half and left one half unflavored/unsweetened for savory dishes. I then labeled each and stored them separately. I saved the pulp for overnight oatmeal and smoothies.
Chai Oatcakes for One
Let me preface by acknowledging that “chai” is Indian for “tea” (or something like that). So when we Americans order a chai tea, we are ordering a “tea tea.” And when we post recipes for “chai oatcakes,” we are simply saying “tea oatcakes.” What we Americans consider “chai” is officially named “Masala chai.”
AKA don’t bother telling me that the name of these oatcakes are nonsensical. I’m just speaking American. [insert American flag and peace sign emojis here]
Okay, now for the more important info: these oatcakes are wonderful. It is incredible how well zucchini fluffs up oatcakes. Look at the top one in the picture! So thick and fluffy!
I’m usually pretty so-so about my chai recipes, but this one is my favorite. The punch of the chai spices were perfect for these oatcakes, and a drizzle of maple syrup on top was all it needed to taste like a million dollars. (What a stupid simile. I bet a million dollars taste pretty dirty and bland.)
Chocolate Banana Muffins with Peanut Butter [Guest Post]
Hello, oatmeal devotees! I’m Claudia from The Breakfast Drama Queen and I’m delighted to share a recipe with you. No, it’s not oatmeal – bear with me here, people – but it does contain oats. And peanut butter!
So, why am I here? Well, imagine this: The Oatmeal Artist contacts you with an exciting idea. She’ll take one of your recipes and turn it into oatmeal. Then you’ll take one her oatmeal recipes, and turn it into a different breakfast food. Was I about to say no to that?
PB2 Oatcakes + 3 Easy PB2 Hacks
The affection I have for PB2 is real. I feel like I owe it something.
For many years, my life was a cycle of toomuchpeanutbutterinonesitting –> stomachachefordays –> that’sitI’mquittingpeanutbutterforever –> omgImissitsomuch –> Icanhavejustalittlebit –> nopeIwannaeatthewholejar –> repeat.
I tried many tricks to overcome this addiction. I would make CCK’s banana butter, or Happy Herbivore’s nutty spread, or Oh She Glows’ ABU (made with peanut butter), but ultimately, all of those tricks required me to buy peanut butter. None of the recipes require you to use a full jar of peanut butter at once, which meant I would have a half a jar of undiluted peanut butter calling my name.
The thing about PB2 is that the fat is taken out. Most people would say–and I would agree–that it is flawed thinking that PB2 is “healthier” because the fat is taken out. However, the fat in peanut butter is what makes it so good. So addicting. So easy to enjoy by the spoonful (after spoonful after spoonful after spoonful) until the jar is empty and you feel sick. The high concentration of fat caught me in The Pleasure Trap, and I couldn’t escape it. I had daily stomach aches from my inability to put down the spoon. Although I make light of my peanut butter addiction on this blog, in reality it brought me much grief and pain on a daily basis.
Not only does PB2 allow me to enjoy peanut butter flavor without igniting my pleasure-seeking desires, but I have to actually make it each time I want it. When I put PB2 in my oatmeal, I have to physically mix up a serving of it. I can’t just go back for another spoonful. I have to make more. It’s not that hard, and I’ve done it before, but there’s a huge difference between opening up the jar for another (and another, and another, and another, and another) spoonful of peanut butter, and stirring up one more serving of PB2 and realizing you don’t actually want/need any more than that.
Because I’m sure people will comment on it, I want to clarify that removing peanut butter from my diet required me to add fat and calories to other parts of my day. Although my peanut butter has been replaced with PB2, I still top my oatmeal with tons of nuts (now more than I used to). I still eat a ton of avocado. Et cetera.
Please do not use PB2 as a low-fat or low-calorie substitute if you have a healthy relationship with peanut butter. I didn’t; that’s why I needed a change. Eating food in its natural form is always the best option. (But I recommend trying PB2 either way since you can use it for cool tricks like on popcorn or in place of flour when baking.)
As a full-fledged PB2 lover, here are three hacks I’ve learned:
- Add extra liquid to make a PB2 sauce. It’s perfect for pancakes. Sometimes I even mix in maple syrup for a PB2 version of my Maple-Nut Sauce.
- Add a drop of almond extract for “AB2.” While we wait for the almond version of PB2, this is the best we can do. Is it a spot-on replica of almond butter? Obviously not. However, since I can’t be trusted with a jar of almond butter (Exhibit A), I found this pretty darn satisfying. Note that I said a drop. It does not take much.
- Mix in coconut butter. I found out–after purchasing a jar–that I do not enjoy store-bought coconut butter. It’s very greasy and unpleasant–more like oil instead of butter. Thus, I keep my jar of coconut butter in the fridge, where it hardens. When I make my PB2, I scrape out about a 1/8 tsp of coconut butter and mix it into my PB2. The result is fabulous–not only do you get a bit of the fat back, but you get some lovely coconut flavor, too. 🙂
Anyway. THESE PANCAKES. 🙂
PB2 Oatcakes
What you'll need:
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1/2 cup rolled or quick oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
- 1/4 cup PB2
- 1/2 cup's worth of zucchini, preferably peeled
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- rounded 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
How to make it:
- Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl or cup and let sit for ten minutes.
- Put all pancake ingredients (including milk-vinegar mixture) in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add extra liquid if necessary (just a tsp or so at a time). It should have the consistency of paint. 🙂
- Heat a griddle pan over medium low heat.
- When griddle pan is ready, spray with nonstick cooking spray (it only needs a little bit!), and use a large spoon or a small scoop to pour pancakes onto the griddle. I made small pancakes, so I used a large soup spoon, and it worked perfectly. Generally, don't go any bigger than 1/4 a cup, but I find that too big still.
- When bubbles have formed at the top of the pancake, flip over and cook for another minute. Repeat until all the batter has been used!
- Serve with syrup (I recommend fruity syrups) or fresh fruit. I used strawberry syrup and pomegranate arils.
Blueberry Oatcakes
Now that I know that zucchini is the trick to making neutral-flavored oatcakes, THERE ARE SO MANY POSSIBILITIES! First up on my list: blueberry pancakes.
Banana PB and J Oatcakes
File this one under “things I should have made two years ago.”
I knew I wanted to make oatcakes for my last recipe of 2014, but I wasn’t sure which one. I have plenty of ideas for oatcake recipes, but none of them could be made at my parents’ house (missing some ingredients). Plus, I wanted banana. And peanut butter.
I actually had to go back and check my recipe list to make sure that I had never made this before. Seriously, how did I not make this earlier?
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POSTED IN: bananas, jams and jellies, not porridge, pancakes and waffles, PB and J, peanut butter, toppings
POSTED IN: bananas, jams and jellies, not porridge, pancakes and waffles, PB and J, peanut butter, toppings
PB and J Muesli
There is neither peanut butter nor jelly in this muesli (although I definitely contemplated both). Instead, it contains a delicious mix of fresh grapes, crushed peanuts, and (bonus!) sliced bananas, flax, and raisins. It’s like PB&J, in a muesli-friendly form.
