Popular Porridges
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Gingerbread Persimmon Oatmeal + Product Review: BetterOats
Lately, I have been on the constant prowl for recipes that would work well with persimmon. My philosophy is this: persimmon has a muted but pleasant flavor, and pairs best with bold flavors. That is why I used this delightful fruit atop my Chai-Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal; it contributed a calm sweetness to an otherwise “loud” oatmeal base.
Next up? Gingerbread.
I have made gingerbread oatmeal a variety of ways: with banana, with sweet potato, and with pumpkin. Truthfully, they all work beautifully, and it all depends on what “background flavor” you want in your life (i.e. just pick your favorite). Alternatively, you could use grated zucchini or yellow squash for a nutritional filler that adds no flavor. (more…)
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POSTED IN: bananas, dessert lovers, hidden banana, persimmon, pumpkin, review, sweet potato, veggies, zucchini
POSTED IN: bananas, dessert lovers, hidden banana, persimmon, pumpkin, review, sweet potato, veggies, zucchini
Applesauce Ancient Grains Oatmeal with Almond Butter and Cherry Jam
After falling in love with Purely Elizabeth’s 6-Grain Ancient Grain Cereal, I decided to work with it again, this time with two special ingredients. 1) almond butter, which costs an arm and a leg, and 2) cherry jam, which my friend bought me from Italy. 🙂
The title says applesauce, but you could also use stewed apples, grated apples, or diced apples–whatever floats your yacht. (more…)
Product Review: Purely Elizabeth Cereals
Of course, you all know that I have crazy oatmeal ideas with exotic fruits and unusual flavor combinations. However, when it comes to the grains, I’m pretty boring. I generally stick to plain old oats, occasionally adding flax or chia. And there was that one time I made half-oats, half-quinoa porridge (which was great).
Thus, when I received the opportunity to try Purely Elizabeth cereals, I quickly accepted.
Purely Elizabeth sent me two cereals: the 6-Grain Ancient Grain Oatmeal and an instant Apple Cinnamon Pecan Ancient Grain Oatmeal. The grains in the former include quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, kaniwa, hemp, flax and chia (and oats, obviously). (more…)
Restaurant Review: Porridge Cafe [Guest Post]
TOA: The following review was written by reader Brianna. The Porridge Cafe can be found in London, England. If you have a special oatmeal eatery in your stomping grounds, we’d love to hear about your experience!
I am an avid porridge experimenter and heavily dependent on my morning bowl of porridge for that warm-belly-happy-heart feeling. So, I was perhaps a bit inappropriately excited when I saw the news that during March there would be a pop-up cafe dedicated especially to the world’s most versatile and wholesome breakfast foodstuff in Central London.
Their menu changes daily and offers a selection of sweet and savoury porridges with a range of bases, milk and toppings. The setting is trendy: a small cafe with wooden benches topped with potted flowers, bright and airy lighting, upbeat weekend music and colourful prints adorning the walls. The easy, relaxed atmosphere was completed by the staff who were warm and easy-going.
Product Review: Dip & Scoop Argan Oil
Happy New Year!
I was not-that-recently approached by Dip&Scoop to try their culinary Argan oil. Not to be confused with Argon--a chemical element with 18 electrons–or Angora–wool made from a rabbit–Argan oil is extracted from the Argan trees in Morocco. It’s most commonly known for being a beauty product, as many people use it in their hair. It turns out it’s good for noshing, too! If you’ve ever tried walnut oil, you will find this quite similar in flavor.
Dip&Scoop was kind enough to send me a bottle of their Argan oil to sample. They actually shipped it to me back in October, and I failed them so hard. First the bottle sat at work (where I had them ship it to) because I was too lazy to carry the box home. Finally, I brought the bottle home and set it in my bedroom.
That ended up being a huge mistake because then I kept forgetting I had it. Every day when I wake up, I head straight to the kitchen and start cooking. My oatmeal consumes all my focus. Then later I go to my room and see the Argan oil and think, “Blerg, I was supposed to use that this morning!” This cycle continued for two months. I suppose the average person would have moved the oil to their kitchen at some point, but that just didn’t occur to me. I kept thinking, “Tomorrow! I’ll remember to do it tomorrow!”
Then, I was just consumed with guilt. This company was generous enough to share their product with me, and I just let it sit in my bedroom for two months. Well, I finally followed through, and I’m pleased to have my first post of 2015 wrap up some unfinished business from 2014. 🙂 (more…)
Product Review: MixMyOwn Healthy Breakfast
Recently, Klara, a reader, approached me about a fantastic new company she and her husband launched called MixMyOwn Healthy Breakfast. The concept is simple: you choose from a ton of options to create your own healthy breakfast cereal (either a muesli or granola). The ingredient choices range from sweetened to unsweetened, organic to conventional, and classic to unique.
Klara gave me a wonderful opportunity to try and review my own custom-made cereal. Creating my mix started out a little overwhelming. I wanted everything, but I knew I wanted it to be a cohesive mixture. For example, I couldn’t add chocolate to a tropical mix, and I wouldn’t want mango in a strawberry-banana mix. This was the hardest part–but in a fun way. I also loved how I was able to choose organic and unsweetened varieties.
Eventually, I went the “strawberry banana” route (although it contained raspberries and goji berries as well). Choosing the base of my cereal was difficult. I initially chose muesli since granola can give me a stomach ache sometimes (all the sugar), but then it felt like a waste (since I make homemade muesli all the time easily). I chose the oil-free granola. This was “special” to me because I tried making an oil-free granola once and it turned out terribly, so I wanted the luxury of having someone else make it for me. 🙂
The packaging is fantastic. The back tells you the ingredients used, the nutrition info (even though it’s a custom mix!), AND a QR code in case you want to order the exact same mix again without having to work through the options and lists again. Nice touch.
My package from MixMyOwn also contained this little baggie of goodies. I’m not sure if everyone gets the same thing, but it’s cute. The coconut in there looks delish.
Throughout the entire ordering process, from first opening the web site to holding the actual package in my hands, I could see that this company has a passion for breakfast and pleasing modern needs. They recognize that there is a demand for information (clear ingredients list that says exactly which products are organic, for example), as well as a demand for the option of better-quality ingredients. As further proof, Klara passed on this list of 7 tips for healthier breakfasts, and I agree with all of them (although I believe all fruits and veggies are superfoods!).
7 Tips for Healthy Breakfasts that Combat Weight Gain During Holidays and Throughout the Year
1. Don’t skip breakfast – skipping breakfast leads to snacking and overeating the rest of the day – muesli, granola or multi-grain flakes cereal is quick, easy, low in calories and helps prevent snacking and overeating later in the day
2. Eat low-calorie and enjoyable breakfast foods – looking forward to breakfast makes it less likely to be a meal that gets skipped – with over 100 ingredients and a variety of options, custom-mixed cereals from MixMyOwn.com give customers a variety of combinations with their favorite flavors
3. Avoid foods high in cholesterol and fat like fatty breakfast meats and fried eggs – whole-grain foods like muesli, granola or multi-grain flakes have little fat and almost no unhealthy cholesterol
4. Eat foods high in fiber – fiber prevents some fats from being absorbed by the body and reduces risk for heart disease – MixMyOwn.com’s custom cereals have up to 4 grams of fiber per serving.
5. Include protein – protein builds muscle and staves off hunger – muesli, granola or multi-grain flakes with nuts and whole grains can add significant protein without adding excess saturated fat; MixMyOwn.com’s Tutty Nutty premix contains 3.9 grams of protein per serving.
6. For fast, portable breakfast make your own smoothie – homemade smoothies can drank while commuting to work and can contain fresh ingredients with less sugar and fat – muesli is a great smoothie ingredient as in this Banana Muesli Smoothie recipe from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/health/banana-muesli-smoothie-recipes-for-health.html?_r=0
7. Include superfoods – superfoods boost the immune system, aid with weight loss and lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer – favorite superfoods include nuts, seeds, berries, oats, and soy, all of which can be included in any custom cereal mix at MixMyOwn.com.
I was giddy as soon as I opened up my bag of granola. I saw the giant vanilla bean sitting amid all the other ingredients, and I knew it was going to be excellent (the vanilla bean is one of the choices in the final list of special add-ins; I highly recommend it). I picked out a clump of granola first, and–success!–it was crunchy. Already, it was better than the homemade oil-free granola I made once. 😉
My mix already contained dried bananas, but I added sliced banana to mine anyway because (if you haven’t noticed from the majority of my recipes) I’m pretty adamant about starting my days with banana. 🙂 I also know that a true “serving” of granola is pretty small, so I would need to bulk it up with fruit. I always eat granola with banana, so it was the obvious choice.
My mix was incredibly flavorful. Each of the ingredients had retained their individual flavors, so each bite had a different impact. I loved the bites with coconut in them–so nummy!
If you are interested in learning more about this company, here is more information directly from Klara:
About MixMyOwn.com
Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, MixMyOwn.com is dedicated to promoting a wholesome lifestyle for customers by providing a way for customers to choose their own whole-grain and multi-grain cereal ingredients and have it delivered fresh to their doorstep. The MixMyOwn.com website offers nearly 100 responsibly chosen ingredients — including many 100% natural, unprocessed, organic and non-GMO, preservative-free and sugar-free options*. Ingredients include 31 types of dried fruits, 20 types of nuts and seeds, and five whole-grain bases. Or customers can choose from one of eight pre-mixed breakfast cereals. MixMyOwn was created by entrepreneur couple Klara Charvatova and David Filipi in July 2013. The company uses U.S.-based suppliers only and ships orders to all U.S. states for a flat rate.
For more information about the advantages of custom cereal and MixMyOwn.com, please call Klara Charvatovaat 702-354-1936 or send e-mail to klara@mixmyown.com.
**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!
