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Slow Cooker Red Velvet Tea Tapioca Pudding

April 13, 2012 · by · 3 Comments

Tapioca is not a pretty food, but there’s something wonderful when you bite into those mini spheres. Slightly gooey but matched with its creamy almond milky pudding it becomes the perfect texture. Straight from the fridge it’s my favorite hot afternoon snack in the summer.

In the summer the last thing I want to do is put a pot of anything on the stove. The slow cooker is the perfect answer. It doesn’t heat up your kitchen and even though the cooking time is short you don’t have to stand there waiting for it to cook. Take a walk, pick some herbs from the garden, or just make the dog happy and go on that walk around the block. It will cook without you. to recipe →

Filed Under: Dessert, Gluten-free, Soy-free, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Coffeecake Oatmeal

October 4, 2011 · by · 28 Comments

I’m back on my oatmeal obsession just in time for Vegan Month of Food. I realized fall and winter will bring even more flavors into my oatmeal mix. Plus, is it really an obsession if it doesn’t raise its head every once in a while?

In case you didn’t already know this about me, I am in love with pumpkin and winter squash. They are good for you and can be used in everything from stews and casseroles to desserts and breakfast.

In the next few weeks you can look forward to some winter squash slow cooker recipes along with more delicious oatmeal flavors that are worth getting out of bed for! (There may even be pears and apples involved too.)

Happy Fall!

** Make sure to check out my other oatmeal recipes. I have over 40 different flavors!

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Coffeecake Oatmeal
soy-free and gluten-free
2 to 3 servings

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

  • 1/2 cup (40g) steel-cut oats
  • 1 3/4 cup (437ml) Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (or plain plus 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
  • 1/2 cup (124g) pumpkin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
coffee cake topping
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar (or other sweetener if you don’t use refined sugar)
  • 3 tablespoons pecans or walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

The night before: Mix toppings in a small container and cover until the morning. Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later (optional). Add all the ingredients except the toppings. 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 be a more uniform consistency. Top with coffee cake topping.

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

Vegan Creamsicle Tapioca Pudding

June 27, 2011 · by · 5 Comments

It’s been the hottest June I can remember and all I can think of is eating something cold and not heating up the house.

I wanted to try cooking something with the new Sugar Free Vanilla So Delicious Coconut Milk. Since I use unsweetened milk as my go-to I found the sugar-free vanilla milk to be a little sweet in most of my beverages, but it would be perfect with Thai tea if the concentrate was made without sweetener.

I wasn’t sure how their new sugar-free milk it would cook-up. It uses stevia and monk fruit as the sweeteners. I’m very curious about monk fruit and So Delicious’ new sugar-free products are the only place I’ve seen it so far. Have any of you heard of it before?

I think it worked well in the slow cooker and this pudding. It seemed to lose a bit of the sweetness during the cooking process, but you can always add a little extra sweetener after it’s cooked.

I added an extra teaspoon of agave in my batch. I like to use a small amount of agave when I use stevia. It adds some of the round sweetness that stevia lacks.

You can vary the flavorings to suit your mood. Hot summer days make me think of the creamsicles that I grew up eating. This is a healthier, natural, and vegan way to enjoy the same flavors.

You can substitute any nondairy milk if the sugar-free milk is not in your area. You will just need to adjust the sweetness. I haven’t use regular sweetened vanilla in this recipe but I would think you would not need to add any (or much) sweetener with it.

Please note that I did get some coupons from So Delicious to try some of their new products for free. But honestly if I don’t like it I certainly won’t tell you I do.

Vegan Creamsicle Tapioca Pudding
soy-free gluten-free
serves 6 (And is under 80 calories a serving!)

  • 1/2 cup (76 g) small pearl tapioca
  • 1 container (4 cups or 960 ml) Sugar Free Vanilla So Delicious Coconut Milk
  • 2 teaspoons orange extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • extra sweetener if needed (agave, stevia, etc.) – optional

Place all the ingredients into a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker. (Double the recipe if you have a larger one.)

Cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours or on high for about 2 hours. The size of your slow cooker and how hot it runs will change the exact cooking time. Taste and add extra sweetener if you feel that you need it.

The pudding will not set up all the way in the slow cooker (and will look like it may never set up). But it will set up perfectly after a few hours in the refrigerator. I like to portion mine out so I can just grab some from the fridge when I want it!

Filed Under: Beyond Easy, Cooking Time 2 hours, Cooking Time 4 hours, crockpot, Dessert, Gluten-free, Slow cooker, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow Cooker Bourbon Pecan Pie Oatmeal

April 8, 2011 · by · 3 Comments

The good news is this oatmeal definitely tastes more like dessert than most. The bad news is that it’s higher in calories than most too. It’s a perfect end of the week reward. You can use 1/2 the topping to make it more in line with the calories on the other oatmeals. Brown rice syrup is kinda high in calories and so are this amount of pecans.

In this oatmeal I actually use a teaspoon of bourbon. First off because I couldn’t find any bourbon extract, and secondly because it cooks out and the resulting alcohol amount is actually less than an alcohol based vanilla extract stirred in after cooking.

This would make a nice weekend treat too. You can wake up to breakfast on Saturdays too! I often forget that and find myself getting grumpy because I don’t eat soon enough.

Slow Cooker Bourbon 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
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon bourbon

topping - vary amount to how decadent you want to be!

  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/8 to 1/4 cup agave
  • 1/8 to 1/4 cup brown rice syrup

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except topping ingredients to the slow cooker.  Now mix together the 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 mixture. You may want to add some extra sweetener or a few extra chopped nuts.

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Slow Cooker Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Oatmeal

April 6, 2011 · by · 1 Comment

You know I can’t go too long without a cake flavored oatmeal for breakfast. This oatmeal can brighten up the most dreary day with a vanilla base flecked with pineapple and chopped cherries.

I finally decided I’m going to  Eat Write Retreat in May and will hopefully learn some cool tips. I will definitely learn something about taking pictures, since I really know nothing at this point. Most of the pictures on this blog are actually taken with my camera phone. It has more mega-pixels than my older camera!

Slow Cooker Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Oatmeal

2 to 3 servings

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

  • 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill steel-cut oats
  • 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
  • 1/2 cup minced pineapple (fresh, frozen, or canned)
  • 6 cherries, chopped (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon(s) sweetener of your choice

The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything but sweetener. 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 the sweetener.

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

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Slow Cooker Banana Creme Pie Oatmeal

March 29, 2011 · by · 4 Comments

We’ve been eating a ton of bananas. So many, in fact, that I haven’t been able to cook much with them. Last week we didn’t eat any, so be prepared for a few banana oatmeals this week.

This oatmeal gets its ‘crust’ from a topping of crushed graham crackers. If you don’t have any try some granola or a crushed cookie.

Slow Cooker Banana Creme 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
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 banana, mashed
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons sweetener
    (I used agave)
  • For serving: chopped graham crackers

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

Top each serving with chopped graham crackers and more sliced bananas 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), Slow cooker, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,