Good Morning Sunshine: Oatmeal is saying, 'Hello!'

On a cold, winter's morning, with an afternoon of studying before me, there's no better meal I can think of than slow-cooked Scottish Oats--and a big cup of Earl Grey, of course. They fancy their oats a bit more... 'soupy' here in London, and I found I could embrace that while improving upon it with a multitude of different options.

Now, if you're like me and, until recently, the idea of oatmeal seemed unappealing due to its boring, instant counterpart appearing for breakfast during grade school, I sympathize. But I'll make this my appeal to you: give it another shot! The world of oats has so much potential for every palate, and it doesn't have to be the gluey, sugar-high mess of the past.

My new love for oatmeal began as I started to replace the water for milk... and then milk for coconut milk... and then some banana, some flax seed, vanilla, chocolate, cacao, walnuts, dates! The possibilities are endless and here's the easy recipe for two of my favorites to prove it; no strict rules here, feel free to make it your own.

My favorite part about this breakfast treat is it sustains you well into lunch time with hearty fiber (better than even whole wheat toast) and can go sweet with a variety of all natural sources such as cinnamon, coconut, and a various fresh & dried fruits. Organic soy milk is key for this, sweetened only with organic apple juice (not from concentrate). The amount each recipe makes is for one serving size, but tweak to your liking--I always use 1 part oats to 2 parts liquid + banana for thickening (feel free to omit this and add a bit more liquid as necessary).

Oh, and I would LOVE if you guys would comment any and all of your own ideas or personal oat creations!

Tropical Crunch
I like to eat this one on a rainy day and pretend I'm back on a California beach

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup coconut milk (I've used from the can but will soon be experiment with making my own)
1/4 cup organic sweetened soy milk
1 medium banana, well mashed
1 medjool date, roughly chopped
1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ground flax seed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch of raw pink Himalayan sea salt
Toppings: unsweetened shredded coconut flakes, crumbled pecans, sliced banana
Mix all the ingredients together in a pot and bring to a bowl. Turn heat to low and simmer according to package directions (varies depending on the type of oats, if you're going the slow cooking way this can be up to 30 minutes, most oats are about 5 though). Remove from heat and add toppings, enjoy!


Chocolate Peanut-Butter Dream
This is a great way to start your day with some mood-lifting cacao and energy-inducing peanut-butter

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1 large banana, well mashed
2 medjool dates, cut into small pieces
1 Tbsp of cacao nibs
1/2 Tbsp. goji berries (if you have 'em; they can be quite expensive)
1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ground flax
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch raw pink Himalayan sea salt
Toppings: a dollop of peanut-butter, crushed walnuts, pomegranate seeds, cacao nibs

Mix all the ingredients together in a pot and bring to a bowl. Turn heat to low and simmer according to package directions (varies depending on the type of oats, if you're going the slow cooking way this can be up to 30 minutes, most oats are about 5 though). Remove from heat and add toppings, enjoy!

Peace&Love

Healthy Vegan Hedgehogs

For my Birthday, my lovely boyfriend made me a veganized, healthier version of this one of his favorite desserts: Hedgehogs. Supposedly they are of German origin, but I can't seem to confirm either way. If anyone knows, drop me a line.
Here is the recipe for these bite-sized treats. They are the perfect dessert because they are filled with heart-healthy walnuts and medicinal dates, a great energy booster. Plus, you can eat more than one of these without feeling sugar sick since dates are already quite sweet, it only requires a minimal amount of extra sugar.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups crushed walnuts
1 cup dates
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking pan with non-stick parchment paper
2. Place shredded coconut in a small bowl.
3. Make sure walnuts are crushed are finely crushed, but not powdery. Mix walnuts, dates, brown sugar, cornstarch mixture, and vanilla in large bowl together. The resulting mixture will be quite sticky so mixing with your heads is best. (I put a small bit of water on my hands to keep mixture from sticking).
4. Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it out into a 3 inch long log. (Feel free to choose any shape you like however, round balls or shorter logs works as well).
5. Roll log in shredded coconut and place on baking sheet. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. You can space logs relatively close together since they do not expand in baking.
6. Please baking sheet in oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until the coconut is just beginning to brown. Enjoy!

Peace&Love