Popular Porridges
Tag Archives: veggies
Matcha Oatmeal
This may not be the best way to open this post, but I’m not completely “won over” by matcha. I’m not even exactly sure what it is. ^_^ It’s a green tea powder with a very unique taste. You can find it in lattes (green tea latte), in candy, and in ice cream. My favorite is the last one.
I decided to buy some to try for my oatmeal. As I did my research, I learned that quality matters. Matcha powder can be pretty pricey, but don’t settle for a cheap one. Read the reviews before you buy; some can have an off-putting flavor.
Snickers Oatmeal
IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!
After a week vacation (hooray for mid-winter break!), it’s a little painful to head back to work on my birthday, but at least it means I have plenty of people to celebrate the day with.
Yellow Cake Baked Oatmeal with Chocolate PB2 Frosting
Did you know that they only real difference between yellow cake and a regular “white” cake is just the use of egg yolks? My mom is a cake decorator (in addition to her full-time job as my best friend an accountant), so I’ve seen her make many a white cake. I remember her telling me once that the recipe used only egg whites because the yolk would turn the cake yellow…so I guess it makes sense that a yellow cake uses the whole egg.
Thus, when I decided I wanted to make this recipe, it left me puzzled. How would I recreate it without eggs (not vegan) or food coloring (too many chemicals)? And how could I make it without it tasting like bananas?
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.
Boston Cream Pie Oatcakes for One
I went through most of my life not understanding what Boston Cream Pie actually was. See, my mother became “locally famous” (aka fawned over by elderly ladies at church) for her Boston Cream Pie recipe. Growing up, my sister and I would request it whenever possible.
https://www.theoatmealartist.com/boston-cream-pie-oatcakes-for-one/
It wasn’t until I started caring about food and watching Food Network that I realized her recipe was…well…a loose interpretation. I think it would be better named “Boston Cream Pudding Pie.” It was an actual pie, with crust on the bottom and triangular sections of crust on top. There was no cake in sight. The middle of the pie was a thick, creamy mixture that was firm and spongey. Thin swirls of chocolate were drizzled over the top.
I loved that pie, but I chose to honor the traditional concept of a Boston Cream Pie with these oatcakes. The oatcakes replace the cake layer, and coconut whipped cream (or, if you choose, nondairy yogurt) replaces the creamy center. I used a chocolate PB2 sauce to replace the chocolate ganache.
You can make the coconut whipped cream firmer by using a recipe with powdered sugar. However, this is breakfast, and I’m pretty rigid about that kind of thing. 😛
Boston Cream Pie Oatcakes for One
What you'll need:
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
- 2/3 cup rolled or quick oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
- 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
- 2 tbsp PB2*
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp coconut butter or oil (optional)
- coconut whipped cream OR plain or vanilla nondairy yogurt
For the oatcakes
For Chocolate PB2 Sauce
For serving
How to make it:
- Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl or cup and let sit for ten minutes.
- While waiting, prepare Chocolate PB2 Sauce by whisking it all together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- 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!
- To serve, alternate layers of oatcake and coconut whipped cream (or yogurt). At the end, drizzle the Chocolate PB2 Sauce over the top.
Just an FYI:
*You could also use chocolate PB2.
Chai Coconut Zucchini Oatmeal
Zucchini is great. You can do so much with it!
You know what I love? The combination of coconut and masala chai spices.
Biscuit Baked Oatmeal with Vegan Sausage Gravy
Have I talked about Happy Herbivore on here before? *searches* Yep, it looks like I have. I adore Happy Herbivore. I stopped buying cookbooks a couple years ago because I want to have a mobile lifestyle, and lugging around a library was not going to work out. Owning cookbooks when you can find a recipe for nearly everything you want online for free is also…just unnecessary, right?
However, I gladly own the first two Happy Herbivore cookbooks (and did not mind lugging them when I moved back in June). Lindsay’s recipes are so easy, quick, and functional. They are “everyday” meals…nothing that I need to motivate myself to make. I make something from one of her cookbooks at least once a week (typically the mac and cheese, haha). (more…)
Churro Baked Oatmeal with Dark Chocolate Center
Dear school lunches,
I have a problem with you. You force dairy product on your students. You teach students that vegetables are gray and soggy. You act like pizza once a week is a normal way of life. You condone Pop Tarts as a suitable breakfast.
But occasionally, you have your perks. If it weren’t for you, I never would have had a churro. Of course, I later learned that those soggy cold churros you gave us were not even remotely close to the pure pleasure of an authentic, crisp churro, but exposure is everything. (more…)
Tiramisu Oatcakes for One
You know my oatcakes always feature some sort of fruit or veggie, whether it’s mashed banana, pureed peaches, apple butter, or pureed beets.Can you guess the produce packed into this one?
It’s zucchini! Now, I have experimented with using zucchini in the past, but it has often failed to serve the purpose I needed it for. I usually want it to be a “tasteless filler” in an otherwise “nutrition-less” recipe (see: any cookie recipe). However, it never worked as nicely as I would have liked. Just recently, I used it to make a brilliant recipe (you will just have to wait until I “nail it” to see what it is!), but I could taste the zucchini. As low in flavor as it is, it does leave some sort of flavor, particularly when paired with cinnamon, as it was in that recipe. (more…)
