Popular Porridges
Tag Archives: zucchini
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…)
8 Simple Tricks to Spruce Up Pre-Flavored Oatmeal
Several pictures below originally appeared in my post 10 Tips for Eating Oatmeal While Traveling.
I think we’ve all been in that spot before: maybe you’re stuck with the limited options of a hotel continental breakfast, you’re a guest trying to make your daily porridge in a home without plain oats, a well-intentioned friend has given you a box of Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal, you’re “making it work” in a campus dining hall, or perhaps you’re simply trying to use up an old supply of oatmeal from before your transition to homemade porridge.
At one time or another, we’ve all held a packet of Apple Spice or Peaches ’N’ Cream or Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal and thought, “How can I possibly enjoy this?”
Maybe I’m being too presumptuous. Some of you may still like those famous flavored packets. However, judging by the sentiments repeatedly expressed by my Oatmeal Enthusiasts, many of you share my dissatisfaction of the old packets. Once you go homemade, the pre-flavored stuff just doesn’t do it anymore.
Certainly, it may not reach the same level of enjoyment as your usual Sweet Potato Fudge Oatmeal or Peach Cherry Almond Oatmeal at home, but you can hack a flavored packet to make it more tasty!
Here are some tricks to make a flavored packet more enjoyable to your new, sophisticated palette. 😉
Coconut Latte Overnight Oatmeal + The Best Espresso in NYC
There is a recipe in this post. I promise. To read about my year of drinking an absurd amount of espresso, read on. To skip to the recipe, scroll away, my friends.
2014 was the year of the bagel. For 2015, Allison and I set out on a different adventure: visit the best coffee shop in 30 NYC neighborhoods according to Thrillest.
(Of course, we weren’t completely pleased with their choices, as some incredible shops were noticeably absent, and there were THREE shops in Midtown . . . but we attacked the list regardless.)
Allison likes to switch up her order–ranging from iced lattes to cortados to cold brews. I stick to the same order every time: espresso. Call me hardcore, but I love the hit of a well-done espresso. I like being able to truly taste the quality of the shop’s roasting. Some espresso is too bitter and harsh and needs a bit of simple syrup (or honey because I’m “one of those vegans”–go ahead and berate me in the comments; I can handle your lambasting), while others are strong but mellow, perfectly sippable on their own.
Typical: Allison’s cortado, my espresso
My favorites? Well, I’m so glad you asked. 🙂 (more…)
Oatmeal Enthusiasts: Meet Taigen!
Happy July! I hope all my American readers had an excellent patriotic birthday and enjoyed some awesome guacamole . . . I know I did! I picked July’s Enthusiast a month and a half early. I found her pictures on Instagram and was immediately smitten. I couldn’t help but ask early!
Hey guys! My name is Taigen, I’m 20 years old and I live in Sydney, Australia. I grew up in rural New South Wales and was a real country bumpkin (I’m talking tom-boy who refused to wear shoes type) until my family made the move to the city when I was nine. I grew up very differently to my peers: riding horses, mustering sheep, fixing fences and building tepees took up most of my childhood. I am the youngest of three, with two older brothers. I’m currently in my final year of university and will soon be a qualified journalist! I have spent most of this year studying abroad in London, England, which was such an amazing experience! I got to travel all over the UK and Europe and even had my brother fly over to do some travelling with me. I returned to Australia in late May, just in time for my second winter of the year! Which isn’t as bad as you may think. Cold weather only means warm, hearty foods. And I don’t doubt everyone here is a foodie as I am. One food we love in particular – oatmeal!
[trigger warning]
I’ll start by admitting that, like some of Lauren’s dedicated readers, I am also ED recovered. I was never hospitalised or forced into recovery; instead I chose to recover on my own. I had a hard look at my lifestyle and saw that I was destroying mind and my body, all for the sake of feeling the useless satisfaction that came from seeing a certain number on the scales. I fell victim to orthorexia, which is an unhealthy obsession with being healthy by over-exercising and eating a super ‘clean’ diet. My weight dropped 12 kg (26lbs) in 6-8 months and kept going. I had always carried a little extra weight while I was growing up, so the contentment of finally seeing the scales drop only made me more obsessed with continuing.
[end trigger warning]
No matter what, I had oatmeal for breakfast every single day. In hindsight, breakfast was where my recovery started and still remains the place I can take solace whenever those thoughts return. Throughout falling victim to an eating disorder, recovering and now pursuing a passion for health, wellbeing and happiness, my oat recipes have changed at each phase respectively. In other words, and by my own verdict, they have only gotten better and better!
Last year I made a small but incremental change to my oats that drove me to start an Instagram account and get experimental with all kinds of flavours and combinations. I added zucchini. Yup, you read that right! I grated up raw zucchini and cooked it with my oats. On the 9th of March 2014, at around 6am, I had my very first, very hesitant, bowl of zoats! Since that day I haven’t gone back. They are my favourite discovery to date and I am always looking for new and inventive ways to have zoats, and to inspire others to try them as well!
I couldn’t tell you the last time I didn’t have some kind of oats for breakfast; even while travelling I still managed to source them out somewhere. I also can’t tell you how hard it was to choose just seven flavours to share with you! It racked my brain because I wanted them to be the flavours that I always go back to and love, without them being mundane or unexciting. But in the same way, I have so many flavours that I love and thoroughly enjoy only having once a month. So I mixed it up and went with my cravings each morning!
Monday: Vanilla Cappuccino Zoats with Cacao PB2 Sauce
Adding granulated coffee to my oats has been one of my most favourite things to do! I don’t drink coffee, I eat it, and it’s amazing. I use about 1 teaspoon of Nescafe Intense coffee granules. The vanilla flavouring comes from my protein powder and I use in it all of my recipes. I find vanilla is a great base flavour and sweetener. As for the cacao pb2, all I did was mix pb2 with raw cacao power and hot water – I say always use hot water because cacao mixes with hot water far easier than cold and the consistency it creates is just like melted chocolate! (more…)
Snickerdoodle Cookie Baked Oatmeal
Today marks my first official day of summer vacation unemployment. It’s true: I’m no longer teaching. If you’ve been following my blog closely for more than six months, you probably don’t need an explanation. You only have to browse a few posts from the past year to infer why I’m leaving the classroom.
I’d love to say I’m full-time blogging now, but that is not (and probably never will be) the case. Boo. I have my sights set on something else, but I’ll wait until that (maybe) pans out before I discuss it on here. In the meantime, hooray for mental health! (more…)
Chocolate Chili Cherry Oatmeal
As a herbivore, I have to be selective about my chocolate obsession. Luckily, I have a strong preference for dark chocolate (my motto is “higher than 70% or GTFO”), and many brands of dark chocolate are accidentally vegan. For example, Lindt’s dark chocolate (75% and higher) are all dairy-free.
However, if you want a different variety, such as one with almonds or espresso beans, you’re often out of luck. That’s why I love the Chocolove brand. In addition to their sustainability and social responsibility efforts, they offer several unique dark chocolate varieties that are completely dairy-free!
My favorite of these is–you guessed it–Chilies & Cherries & Dark Chocolate bar. Obviously this bar uses dried cherries, but since it’s prime cherry season, I used the real deal for this oatmeal. (more…)
Recipes for Zucchini Lovers!
Zucchini! Zucchini everywhere!
I love zucchini (and yellow squash) because it’s so gosh darn cheap. Spring and summer markets boast oodles of fresh berries and gorgeous green vegetables, but some of them can be so pricey. Not summer squash!
I love to cook with them (I’m a big fan of zoodles!), but I have also fallen in love with putting them in my oatmeal. I find grating anything to be a massive pain, but once I discovered pureed squash, it changed everything.
Want to take advantage of the cheap squash bounty? Try these recipes!
Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal
Let’s start with a classic, eh? Back in my last creative days, I could only imagine using zucchini for obvious purposes, like the beloved zucchini bread. I loved it from the very beginning, but it would be over two years before I recognized zucchini for its true potential!
(more…)
Kiwi Coconut Fudge Oatmeal
Banana and chocolate. Banana and chocolate. Banana and chocolate. This seems to be my daily addiction, and I sometimes have trouble coming up with recipes that go beyond that–not because I lack the imagination, but because banana and chocolate is what I crave, deep down in my heart. Exhibit A:
- Banana & Chocolate Chip Oatcakes
- Black-Bottom Banana Cream Pie Overnight Oatmeal
- Fudgy Banana and PB Oatmeal
- Dark Chocolate Dreams Oatmeal
- Almond Joy Oatmeal 2.0
- Chocolate Banana Overnight Oatmeal
- Dark Chocolate Banana Oatmeal
And soooooo many more!
So this time, I pushed myself (it took a big push) to step outside my banana obsession. It just so happened that I had walked past my neighborhood produce corner store and lusted over their ripe kiwifruit, so that’s what I went with. (more…)
Caramel Pecan Roll Overnight Oatmeal
Mmkay. This recipe is not the healthiest. It’s not sugar free, and it’s not sweetened by fruit. That being said, it’s still healthier than a buttery, sugary caramel roll. Right? Right.
This recipe has a cinnamon-zucchini base with a sweet caramel topping, similar to what you would find at the top of a caramel pecan roll. It’s sweet and satisfying without being overly indulgent, so you can enjoy it in the morning without upsetting your stomach for the rest of the day (even if you have a sensitive gut like mine).
(more…)
Shirley Temple Overnight Oatmeal
Oh, nostalgia…
As a child, there was absolutely nothing I looked forward to more than a Shirley Temple. Wedding coming up? SHIRLEY TEMPLES! Going out to eat at the local bar and grill with my granny? SHIRLEY TEMPLES! Eating at the golf clubhouse for lunch? SHIRLEY TEMPLES! (more…)
