Quinoa Oat Breakfast Porridge with Winter Spices

I've really been enjoying oats for breakfast this winter, especially a hearty bowl of steel cut oats. I originally made this recipe for a spontaneous special weekend breakfast/brunch after eyeing it in a cookbook. The recipe could easily be tweaked to suit your tastes and even the season!

Quinoa Oat Breakfast Porridge with Winter Spices

Adapted from The Candle Cafe Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 C (non-dairy) milk
• 4 C water
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 3-4 tbsp coconut sugar (or use granulated)
• 1/4 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cinnamon stick, optional
• 1/2 C quinoa, rinsed well
• 1 1/2 C steel cut oats

Method

1. Combine the milk, water, and vanilla bean pod and seeds in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.**
2. Add the spices, quinoa, and oats to the pan. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture will thicken as it cooks.
3. Cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving or storing.

**Optionally steep the spices in the milk and water as you bring it to a boil. This will result in a stronger spice flavor.

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Breakfast Oats with Winter Fruit

Oatmeal gets pretty boring after a while. Sure, you can mix up the toppings, dressing it up with different dried or fresh fruits and nuts, but it's essentially the same thing morning after morning. So recently I started preparing raw oat groats at night, soaking them in water to be drained in the morning. These yield a much chewier oat than basic oatmeal and can be blended up and sweetened, sprinkled over yogurt, or served straight up with toppings.

With so many fall and winter fruits in stores, I put together this very seasonal bowl of oat groats topped with persimmon, pear, pomegranate seeds, and vegan sweet cream for an extra special touch. Feel free to sub in whatever fruits you like and have on hand.

Breakfast Oats with Winter Fruit

Ingredients

• 1/2 C raw oat groats
• 1/2 persimmon, cubed
• 1/4 pear, cubed
• 1/4 C pomegranate seeds
• 1-2 tbsp Sweet Dessert Cream

Method

1. Place oat groats in a bowl and cover with filtered water. Let sit overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the oat groats. Put oats in a bowl to serve. Top with the fruits, then drizzle with dessert cream before serving.

This would be equally good with fresh summer berries when the season arrives. Keep this recipe tucked away for summer berry season!

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Coconut Cream Oatmeal

Improvisation sometimes leads to inspired creations in the kitchen which is pretty exciting when it turns out for the better. This "recipe" came together this morning when I reached for some cream to top my oatmeal only to discover it had gone bad (serves me right for keeping it around for over a month!). Luckily I had just opened a pack of coconut cream I used to make ice cream just yesterday.

It's a simple idea really: use coconut cream to top oatmeal instead of dairy cream. Coconut cream is thicker than regular cream which I quite enjoyed. A little bit decadent in itself, I also added a few more toppings to my oatmeal: fresh flaxseed meal, pecan pieces, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Yum!

Oatmeal with coconut cream

You can see in the picture that the coconut cream gets a little melty and starts to blend in with the toppings. It also adds a subtle hint of coconut flavor, adding a slight twist to your standard morning bowl of oats.

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Oatmeal Balls

I originally found this recipe on Pinterest for a no-bake energy ball. It's not a new concept, really, but they looked so good I had to make them. I call them simply "oatmeal balls" and always have a batch in the fridge. Makes for a great snack or treat post lunch, especially when made with chocolate chips.

Oatmeal Balls

Ingredients

• 1 C rolled oats
• 1 C unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 C mix-ins (chocolate chips, dried fruits, nuts, etc.)
• 1/2 C fresh ground flaxseeds (or wheat germ, oat bran)
• 1/3 C honey
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the wet ingredients and stir until mixed well. If the dough is too thick or won't stick together, try adding a touch more vanilla or honey.
2. Chill in fridge for about an hour. Any longer and the mixture will dry out and become difficult to mix.
3. Roll into 1-inch balls. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 30-35.

The best part of this recipe is the flexibility to the point where it's not really a recipe, but more just a method. The mix-ins can be switched up (I'm quite particular to the rather dessert like combo of white chocolate and dried cranberry) and the nut butter swapped for allergies or personal taste. Infinite possibilities!

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Homemade Clif Bars

I love Clif bars...and Luna bars, and Larabars, and so on. So I thought, why not try and make my own? A quick google search landed me a recipe to try.

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup soy protein powder
1 1/2 cups nonfat dry milk
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 egg whites
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup cinnamon roasted nuts, chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 bananas, mashed

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and spray with non-stick spray.
2. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the wet ingredients until blended.
3. Put spoonfuls on the waxed paper and shape as you like (I chose bars, but round would make a nice breakfast cookie)
4. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.

Next time, I'll probably switch up the nuts and fruit for a new combination.

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