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Slow Cooker Hummingbird Cake Oatmeal – An Oatmeal Cure for the Monday Blues

February 28, 2011 · by · 5 Comments

When nothing but something sweet will do, try some Hummingbird Cake Oatmeal. This is an old Southern cake favorite that has pineapple, banana, and pecans in the cake and is topped with a cream cheese icing. Obviously there’s no dairy in my oatmeal. Instead the icing we use is made from Vanilla So Delicious Coconut Yogurt, minced pineapple and some extra pecans.

The oatmeal base is creamy from the mashed banana and coconut milk. Plus you get bites of pineapple and crunchy pecan bits in every bite from the oatmeal and its icing topping. It’s been one of my favorites out of all of them so far. I’m a Southern girl and sometimes (like now) it shows!

In my Love Your Oatmeal Celebration I’ve found that adding vanilla extract to oatmeal really gives it a cake batter and/or pudding taste. With all the fruit and the sweetened yogurt in this oatmeal I didn’t need to use any extra sweetener.

I shared this at Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Slow Cooker Hummingbird Cake Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup Country Choice Organic steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
  • 1/2 cup minced pineapple (fresh, frozen, or canned)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 ripe banana (the riper it is the less extra sweetener you’ll need to use)
  • 2 tablespoon chopped pecans

‘icing’ topping

  • 1/2 cup Vanilla So Delicious Coconut Yogurt
  • 1/4 cup chopped pineapple
  • 1 tablespoon chopped pecans

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add oats, pineapple, cinnamon, and So Delicious Coconut Milk. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours). You can mix the icing topping ingredients now and store in the fridge overnight.

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. In a separate bowl mash the banana and mix it and the nuts in with the oatmeal. Top each serving with the icing topping and top with extra pineapple if desired.

**See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS

Filed Under: Breakfast, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Gluten-free, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow Cooker Purple Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Oatmeal

February 25, 2011 · by · 1 Comment

It’s day 10 of my Love Your Oatmeal Celebration and it’s a Friday too! This oatmeal reminds me of sweet potato pie filling that’s topped with the gooey insides of a pecan pie. Two Southern favs to celebrate the end of the week. After all the end of the week should be sweet, right?

I like to try any food that’s a little out of the ordinary and that’s how the purple sweet potatoes came to be in my kitchen. A local organic farmer grew some this year and they are beautiful. I left some of them as small chunks in the photo above so you can see just hoe dark they get. They almost look like beets! (Oh, beets and oatmeal could work too…) I love the way they add a bold color to dishes they are in.

I am going to try and make some “real” food this weekend to post (hopefully a green Thai curry), but I can’t promise that oatmeal recipes may not appear next week again. I already have more ideas.

I went a little lighter on the spices to let the topping shine through. Feel free to adjust them until it’s just the way you like it! And as always you can leave off the topping altogether but you may need to add a little sweetener if you do.

Slow Cooker Purple Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk (only 50 calories a cup!)
  • 1 cup chopped peeled purple sweet potato (or regular sweet potato – it just won’t be purple)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

‘pecan pie’ topping

  • 2 tablespoon chopped pecans
  • 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
  • 2 tablespoon agave nectar

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except pecan pie topping ingredients to the slow cooker.  Now mix together the ‘pecan pie’ topping in a small bowl and store in the fridge until the morning. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. Top each serving with a few tablespoons of the ‘pecan pie’ topping, making it as sweet as you like it.

Filed Under: Beyond Easy, Breakfast, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Gluten-free, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Slow cooker, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow Cooker Vanilla Fig Oatmeal Topped with Baklava Filling

February 24, 2011 · by · 3 Comments

It’s day 9 of love your oatmeal week, I’m renaming it Love Your Oatmeal Celebration so I sound a little less crazy! I am however a little obsessed with oatmeal and i think it’s the continued success of all my crazy flavor ideas that’s keeping me motivated. I was actually excited for the morning to come when I went to bed last night. Not an easy feat on a work night.

If you don’t have orange flower water it’s fine to leave it out. It adds a very subtle sweet flavor and aroma. Before buying any make sure it’s food grade, which most Middle Eastern stores carry. I was unable to find food grade at my local Whole Foods.

You can leave off the topping altogether or just use a teaspoon or two of your favorite nut. Depending on how sweet your figs are you may need to add a little sweetener if you make it that way.

As seen on The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter

Slow Cooker Vanilla Fig Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk (only 50 calories a cup!)
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried figs
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon food grade orange flower water (optional)
  • 1/2 vanilla bean scraped or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla

‘baklava filling’ topping

  • 1 tablespoon chopped pistachios
  • 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon chopped almonds
  • 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar
  • pinch of cinnamon

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except baklava filling topping ingredients to the slow cooker.  Now mix together the ‘baklava filling’ in a small bowl and store in the fridge until the morning. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. Top each serving with a few tablespoons of the baklava filling, making it as sweet as you like it.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Gluten-free, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow Cooker Strawberry Layer Cake Oatmeal – The Oatmeal to (Hopefully) Bring Spring

February 23, 2011 · by · 3 Comments

Welcome to day 8 of love your oatmeal week! Today’s oatmeal reminds me of my favorite dessert.  Last night we went out to eat and they had a white layer cake with strawberry icing. Luckily they were out of it or it would be attaching itself to my hip as I write this.

But this oatmeal isn’t second best. It’s has the sweet and slightly sour bite of strawberries with the creamy after taste of vanilla and the richness of So Delicious Coconut milk. Topped with some extra vanilla coconut yogurt it even has more vanilla taste – just like I imagine the white cake would have tasted like.

On Monday it was 76 degrees here in Durham and then yesterday it was 50 degrees. Yikes! Once I have a taste of Spring I can’t get it off my mind. It’s my favorite season, and my crocuses and daffodils are blooming. I’m hoping I can entice Spring to come back for the weekend with this oatmeal.

Slow Cooker Strawberry Shortcake Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
  • 1 cup chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons sweetener
    (I used agave)
  • For serving: So Delicious Coconut Yogurt and more fresh strawberries

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except sweetener and yogurt. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency.  The berries will have floated to the top of the crock. Just smash them a little with the spoon while you’re mixing the pot to incorporate them into the mix. Stir in sweetener.

Top each serving with So Delicious Coconut Yogurt and more fresh strawberries if you want.

**(See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS)

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German Chocolate Cake Oatmeal – The Oatmeal of Incentive

February 22, 2011 · by · 1 Comment

It’s day 7 of love your oatmeal week! This has some elements of the Almond Joy oatmeal, but this time we’ll be topping our oatmeal with a decadent pecan, coconut, caramel ‘icing’. If you need to have a lower key (or calorie)  breakfast just sweeten with your favorite sweetener and top with chopped pecans and coconut.

I wasn’t feeling very good yesterday so this is my sweet treat for going back to work. That’s why it’s the oatmeal of incentive to me!

Slow Cooker German Chocolate Cake Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk (only 50 calories a cup!)
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
  • 2  tablespoons finely shredded unsweetened coconut (I used reduced fat organic)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

‘icing’ topping

  • 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated coconut
  • 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except icing ingredients to the slow cooker.  Now mix together the ‘icing’ in a small bowl and store in the fridge until the morning. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. Top each serving with a few tablespoons of the icing, making it as sweet as you like it.

Filed Under: Breakfast, crockpot, Gluten-free, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Slow cooker, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Carrot Cardamom Oatmeal – Inspired by Indian Carrot Halwa

February 21, 2011 · by · 3 Comments

Welcome to part 2 (really week 2) of love your oatmeal week! Yes, that makes it more than a week of love your oatmeal. But I just kept thinking of yummy taste combinations I want to try. This week will have at least a few international flavors that aren’t often seen in your morning oatmeal.

I love Indian food and eat it whenever possible. Carrot Halwa is a thick paste of carrot, sugar and cardamom that’s sometimes topped with saffron and pistachios.

If you’re not sure if you’re a fan of cardamom or not just use 1/2 teaspoon instead of a whole teaspoon. You can always add more before serving.

Slow Cooker Carrot Cardamom Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
  • 1 cup organic carrots, chopped fine or shredded fine
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons sweetener (I used agave)
  • For serving: a pinch of saffron and chopped pistachios

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add oats, So Delicious Coconut Milk, carrots, and cardamom. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency.

Stir in agave or other sweetener and the saffron if you’re using it. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon of pistachios and a pinch of saffron if you’re feeling particularly rich).

**See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS

Filed Under: Beyond Easy, Breakfast, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Gluten-free, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Slow cooker, Soy-free · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow Cooker Vegan Elvis Oatmeal – The ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ Oatmeal

February 18, 2011 · by · 5 Comments

Welcome to day 5 of love your oatmeal week! I thought since it’s Friday I need to shake things up a little and make something slightly wacky and unexpected.  If Elvis had been a vegan this is how he would have started the day. This is a play on his favorite sandwich – a grilled peanut butter, banana, and bacon sandwich. It’s creamy, sweet, peanutty, and has a touch of smokiness and salt. Not bad for an end of the week breakfast.

There are tons of vegan bacon you can use. I used Frontier’s Organic Bac’uns. They are relatively low in salt ( 1 tablespoon has about 120 mg). If you don’t have anything like this on hand, or just want to make your soy-free, you can use a pinch of smoked salt instead, or even a few drops liquid smoke and a pinch of salt.

Try to listen to Elvis on Pandora while your eating it. Later you can do the Friday dance in your blue suede shoes. Happy Friday!

Slow Cooker Elvis Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
  • 1 ripe banana
    (the riper it is the less extra sweetener you’ll need to use)
  • 2 tablespoons all natural peanut butter
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons sweetener (I used agave)
  • For serving: crispy vegan bacon bits

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add oats and So Delicious Coconut Milk. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency.

In a separate bowl mash the banana, peanut butter, and agave together until a paste is formed. Mix this in with the oatmeal.

Stir in agave or other sweetener. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon vegan bacon bits depending on how much salty you like with your sweet..

**See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS

Filed Under: Beyond Easy, Breakfast, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Gluten-free, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Slow cooker, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Oatmeal – The Oatmeal to Calm Your Stomach

February 17, 2011 · by · 4 Comments

Welcome to day 4 of love your oatmeal week! Today’s oatmeal reminds me of my favorite quick bread. Since this is cold and flu season you may find yourself with a tummy ache at some point. Ginger is a great way to soothe your tummy. Plus it tastes good too!

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons sweetener
    (I used agave)
  • For serving: raisins (optional)

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except agave and raisins. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency.  Stir in agave or other sweetener. Top each serving with a few raisins if you like.

**See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS)

Filed Under: Breakfast, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Gluten-free, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Slow cooker, Slow Cooking Basics, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow Cooker Lemon Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal – The Oatmeal of Happiness

February 16, 2011 · by · 4 Comments

Welcome to day 3 of love your oatmeal week! Today’s oatmeal reminds me of my favorite muffin.  You get blueberries in every bite with a bright burst of lemon. There’s something about just smelling lemon that seems to make the ickiest day seem to have possibilities.

Slow Cooker Lemony Blueberry Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
  • 1 cup blueberries
    (I used fresh, but frozen should work fine too)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (or 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest)
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons sweetener
    (I used agave)
  • For serving: finely grated lemon zest and more fresh blueberries

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except sweetener and lemon zest. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency.  If you used fresh blueberries they will have floated to the top of the crock. Just smash them a little with the spoon while you’re mixing the pot to incorporate them into the mix. Stir in sweetener.

Top each serving with lemon zest and more fresh blueberries if you want.

**See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS)

Filed Under: Beyond Easy, Breakfast, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Slow cooker, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow Cooker Creamsicle Oatmeal – Orange Vanilla Goodness

February 15, 2011 · by · 2 Comments

Welcome to day 2 of love your oatmeal week! The taste of orange and vanilla together bring back childhood memories of hot summer afternoons. You can almost feel the sticky on your hands from your melted push-up if you close your eyes. Why did those things always leak anyhow?

Creamsicle Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

  • 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups orange juice (use low acid if you have a sensitive stomach)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons sweetener
    (This will vary on the sweetness or sourness of your OJ)
  • For serving: finely grated orange zest and the scraped insides of 1/3 a vanilla bean
  • So Delicious Coconut Milk (Unsweetened or Vanilla)
    (Use less sugar if you’re going to use vanilla coconut milk)

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except sugar and for serving ingredients. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).

In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency.  Stir in sweetener and vanilla paste scraped from inside of a whole vanilla bean.

Top each serving with orange zest and mix in some Vanilla So Delicious Coconut Milk. I was worried that it would curdle in the OJ, but I’m eating a bowl with it now and it worked great. If you’re having doubts, try adding a tablespoon coconut milk to a few tablespoons oatmeal first. That way if it doesn’t work for you all is not lost!

(I also tested it with So Delicious Coconut Creamer and it worked fine too.

**See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS)

Filed Under: Beyond Easy, Breakfast, Cooking Time 8 hours, crockpot, Gluten-free, Love Your Oatmeal Celebration, Overnight (8+ hours), Slow cooker, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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