Mushroom Tomato Steel Cut Oat Risotto

The more I cook with oats the more I find they have an endless amount of uses. Savory oats are my latest obsession. These steel cut oats retain an al dente quality to them just like arborio rice does in a risotto.

Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You!Cheryl said she would have never guessed it was made of oats, but I have her prepped with a few barley risottos that I worked on for my new slow cooker book,  Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You!, that comes out this fall.

Of course you can pre-order it right now on Amazon. I promise you it will make my day! (Plus if you pre-order now you’ll get the lowest price it sells for between now and the release thanks to  Amazon’s pre-order price guarantee.)

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Slow Cooker Coconut Banana Pecan Coffee Cake Oatmeal

Sorry I missed posting the last 2 days. I have a confession to make. I spent those 2 days oatmeal-less. I cheated on my oatmeal with vegan sausage biscuits and I have to admit it was pretty darn tasty!

Of course, what really made it special was that I ate them on Halloween biscuits. I made 2 dozen Halloween biscuits for a mini Halloween shoot. It was the perfect excuse to decorate the dinner table early.

And now back to our regularly scheduled Friday oatmeal:

Slow Cooker Coconut Banana Pecan Coffee 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
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut (I used reduced fat finely shredded)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (optional adds a bigger coconut flavor)
  • 1 banana, mashed
  • sweeten to taste with your sweetener of choice (I used 1 packet Nu-Stevia)
  • Pecans, chopped – for serving

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add oats, milk, coconut, vanilla and coconut extract. 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 mashed banana and sweetener. Top with chopped pecans

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

Slow Cooker Snickers Oatmeal – the Oatmeal of Cheryl’s Birthday

I do have at least one or two savory surprises this week, but I just had to share the birthday oatmeal I made for Cheryl. She’s been asking for this oatmeal the past 3 weeks. I had trouble wrapping my head around a vegan, oatmeal sub for the nougat. But then it came to me – almond butter mixed with the vanilla So Delicious yogurt. It tasted exactly like nougat to me, so Cheryl got a bowl of birthday oatmeal instead of a cake! (That’s what she wanted, so don’t think I was being mean.)

This oatmeal has a base of vanilla yogurt layered with almond butter nougat and topped with chopped peanuts and chocolate chips. Feel free to drizzle some brown rice syrup or agave to mimic caramel.

I didn’t want the chocolate to overwhelm the nougat so I put it on top instead of adding it to the oatmeal. Just add 1 tablespoon cocoa to the oatmeal if you want to amp up the chocolate flavor.

Slow Cooker Snickers 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 teaspoon vanilla extract

nougat topping:

  • 4 tablespoons Vanilla So Delicious Coconut Yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter

other toppings:

  • 1 tablespoon vegan chocolate chips, whole or chopped
  • 1 tablespoon peanuts, whole or chopped
  • 1 tablespoon agave, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup to drizzle like caramel

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 nougat 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. Layer each serving with the nougat topping and top with whole or chopped chocolate chips and peanuts.

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