Caramel Apple Star Oats

Do you have a favorite fruit? 
I go in phases…blackberries, apples, bananas, pineapple, and mango, usually. Well, my favorite fruit is the beautiful, tasty, in season (and that means affordable!) variety. But apples are great all year. I love that about apples. My favorite is jazz or pink lady, but that’s probably because I haven’t branched out to many types. I usually don’t do green without a mixture of red, because I prefer sweet and crisp over tart and tangy. But we had green so this is what happened.
((2 tb white sugar*1 cup of water*1 tart apple*1 cup oats*2 cups water*Dash of cinnamon, drizzle of caramel or honey))
2 servings

I put 2 tb of white sugar in a pot and heated it on medium for 2 minutes, shaking throughout. This toasted the sugar.
Then, I added 1 cup of water. Then, I added in about 10 “star” slices of apple rounds, slicing horizontally. They boiled for 5+ minutes, until they got a bit tender.

Then, I cooked some oats on the side. I often use water instead of milk to cook oats because the water causes the oats to fluff up bigger than with milk. A dash of cinnamon. Poof!

Then I assembled a couple of slices of apple with the oats in between. I drizzled with a little caramel from my pantry, the Starbucks kind. This was a treat. Honey works, too. If you have pecans, they’d be lovely on top. Your apple stars will thank you. And I will come over for breakfast.

Pardon the Interruption (PTI): I just turned in my big research project. I treated myself with blogging to you. Now it’s time for a few hours of sleep before morning class. I think I just lost 25 pounds of stress. Happiness and apples to you.

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

Peanut Butter Banana Oats

Oats, glorious oats!

Just when I think I’m going to get tired of eating oatmeal every other day, another way of making it interesting comes around. Here’s another:

Not much to look at, but pretty tasty, my friends.
Peanut Butter Banana Oats
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 banana, cut into bite-sized pieces
Dash of cinnamon
2 TB crunchy peanut butter (or any nut butter)
Toppings: flax seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, or more fruit (blueberries are tasty)
In a medium saucepan on medium high, combine the first three ingredients. Stir as oats bubble and cook, for 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat.
Add the banana, cinnamon and peanut butter. Top with anything else you like. Yum. Add bacon if you want it Elvis-style. I’m just sayin’. Stir until banana is melty and enjoy piping hot.

Happy eating!
Laurel
~Laurel~

(Chocolate) Cranberry Coconut Oats

How was your Valentine’s Day?

Matt made a coconut curry with shrimp…muy delicious and muy spicy! It was our first time to experiment with coconut milk (I know, where have I been?), and it turned out pretty well.

We had a little coconut milk left, so I threw it into my morning oats.

Chocolate Cranberry Coconut Oats
The base of these oats is surely the coconut aroma, along with a tangy bite from the cranberries and creamy sweetness from the chocolate. Crunchy pecans give a nutty balance to this indulgent breakfast (or dessert).  

serves one hungry lady (or guy)

1/2 cup raw oats
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/4 cup of chopped cranberries (dried can work, too, but reduce to 2 TB)
2 TB chocolate chips
1 TB chopped pecans

Combine the oats, milks, and cranberries on the stove or in a bowl for the microwave. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until oats have bubbled and are cooked. Add the chocolate chips and pecans and cook for 60-90 seconds. Stir and enjoy.

Happy eating!
Laurel

~Laurel~

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