Slow Cooker Purple Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Oatmeal

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.

Slow Cooker Vanilla Fig Oatmeal Topped with Baklava Filling

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.