Sweet Cherry Oatmeal

Nothing makes morning more delightful than oatmeal bowls.

Last week, had been another wonderful round of goodness.
Projects are budding over the horizon, letting an early spring dawn in the radiant light of new blossom.
I received a sweet sum for the African Diaspora Diastema project and look forward to continue paving the way for positive esteem both in personal perception and in the art. I wished the self-doubt could lessen daily. It moves up and down in a constant elevator motion.
In the meantime, I have sketched up plans for the 115th Annual Student Exhibit (ASE, a yearly huge school exhibition of graduating students and selected 3rd/4th year BFA/Certificates), drafted up an upcoming installation called Augusta Savage's Birthday Party, and spring cleaning the studio for my last participation in Open Studio Night on February 19th. There are also other highly anticipated events-- volunteering for the Athena Film Festival, Fabiola Jean-Louis and Arcmanoro Niles' art gallery shows, a meeting about creating black gallery spaces in Philadelphia, and seeing Danai Guiria's Eclipsed on Broadway starring Lupita N'yongo. Very, very excited!
Another thrilling the morning is oatmeal, a nice, warm bowl of oatmeal.
Winter is crawling its way out through invisible cracks, leaving behind straying enchanted chill. It remains cold at home for a little while longer and such an atmosphere calls for oatmeal satisfaction. Splendid Bonne Maman Cherry Preserves (my favorite flavor) provides enough sweet satisfaction with cherry bits adding fruity texture to this porridge-y consistency breakfast delight.
Eating oatmeal is like holding the hand of a treasured friend. The spoonfuls of cherries sprinkle sugar on top.

Sweet Cherry Oatmeal Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup almond milk (or any dairy free alternative)
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup Bonne Maman's Cherry Preserves
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Bring almond milk to a boil.

Stir in oats, cherry preserves, lemon juice, and cinnamon.

Serve with cinnamon sticks.

Vegan Mofo 2014 Day 9: Quick Savory Seitan Steel Cut Oatmeal

Steel cut oatmeal gets a "meaty" treatment.

It was a nearly perfect day.
Went to see David Lynch's first ever retrospective here at school and it was amazing!!! He primarily uses printmaking, painting,  mixed media, and of course film. Plus the conversation with Robert Cozzolino and the students was a real eye opening treat.  As soon as the link is posted, I'll add it to a future blog post for your big Lynch fanatics. He said a lot of intriguing quotes alongside his traditional enigmatic responses. I especially loved what he said about ideas. Artists generate a score of ideas and explore methods trying to get that idea out in the "right" way. But what he said about the idea itself was direct and beautiful: "As idea is like falling in love, once you fall in love-- that's it. You're married to the idea." I was also pleasantly surprised that the idea of cinema came from a painting which he thought appeared to be moving! Interesting!
That's easily renders itself into cooking-- Taste The Nom Nom that is and bringing breakfast to Virtual Vegan Linky Party. Cooking vegan will always be so fascinating, so expansive. When I think about oatmeal and its million possibilities, prospects house endless excitement. I love both the sweet oatmeal and the savory oatmeal. Oats are like the grainy, versatile version of tofu, plain "clay" allowing creativeness to mold fantastically mouth watering art for the food palette sculptor.

Look at what's brand new. The recyclable packaging is organically composed, minimalist color palette, and art noveau designed. Speaks to versatile flavors founded in each 4 person serving of epic yumminess.

I always seem to purchase "new" items when they're on sale! For instance, I've been dying to try Upton's Naturals forever! Everyone is singing praises. They're 2 for $6 (plus a 50 cent coupon is on internet rotation) at Whole Foods Market. We don't have the popular bacon flavor unfortunately (well not at the two convenient locations downtown). I picked Italian Seitan-- Italian seasonings junkie right here! The hesitancy struggle was real. It's been in the fridge for two weeks. I don't always like the consistency of seitan itself. In several restaurants, I've had awful "chewy" fake chicken feeling like rubber between teeth. Downright awful to digest! Yet Upton's Naturals managed to make seitan not only palatable but flavorful and unique. Seasoned crumbly texture mimics sausage perfectly and depths are three dimensionally satisfying to nose and taste buds. That's why it was a great pairing to steel cut oats, the chewier heartier oatmeal. Almond milk provides creaminess and nooch is the "cheesy" counterpart. Deliciously savory part of a great breakfast or brunch add a pinch of maple syrup to bring extra sweetness.

Quick Savory Seitan Steel Cut Oatmeal Ingredients and Preparation

1/2 cup Trader Joe's Quick Steel Cut Oatmeal
1 1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 cup Upton's Naturals Italian Seitan
red onion
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
dash of curry

Bring almond milk to a boil.
Stir in steel cut oatmeal, lower heat, and cover. Takes only 7-8 minutes to cook.
In separate skillet (yes you'll have two stove eyes on deck!), heat coconut oil and toss in garlic.
Add seitan and mix cordially. It smells quite delicious already.
Once steel cut oatmeal is finished, turn off stove and pour in prepared seitan. Mix in red onion, nutritional yeast, garlic salt, and black pepper.

Sprinkle top with a pinch of curry powder and completely optional spinach leaves.

Nom!!!!!!

German Chocolate Dessert Oatmeal

Oatmeal is that you? You're virtually unrecognizable!

Sometimes I wake up craving cake, but don't have the energy necessary to bake in the A.M. 
So manipulating oatmeal to suit chocoholic desires for that cake I'm too lazy to create, I boiled my lovely pot of typical almond milk (any nondairy milk alternative will do here too), added oats, sweetness, and seasonings and topped it all off shredded coconut (which can be toasted if desired), a blend of nuts, and sadly the last of sweet miniature chocolate chips for a reminiscent appealing taste of German Chocolate yum. Deliciously engaging and filled with enticing, flavorful textures, this oatmeal is a real morning pick me up! 

German Chocolate Dessert Oatmeal Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ginger
pinch of salt
1/2 cup walnuts & pecans
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
handful Enjoy Life Food's miniature chocolate chips (or any other brand)

Bring milk to a boil.
Stir in the rolled oats, cocoa powder, agave nectar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
Cook for 5 minutes.
Pour oatmeal into a bowl and top with remaining ingredients.
Serve.  

Bliss for any chocoholic.

Can one really handle all this in a single bowl? Doubt it. :D

Dark Chocolate Dreams Banana Oatmeal

This sweet fulfilling oatmeal would confuse anyone into believing it to be dessert hour.

In another dastardly case of Much Ado Without Bread, Peanut Butter & Company's infamous Dark Chocolate Dreams would have easily been scooped out of the jar via silver spoon and ferocious morning appetite. But right beside my blue capped friend in the overly stocked, very disorganized cabinet, stood the near empty box of oatmeal- the perfect lead in this Saturday breakfast story.
After being swirled together in a little pot with boiled sweet near blackened banana puree, the oatmeal and Dark Chocolate Dreams danced a tasty, belly satisfying jingle on the excited taste buds. Strawberry slices and chocolate chips added additional flare to fruity peanut butter goodness and made sleepy eyes widened to alert energy.
Now how many breakfast combinations make that kind of magic happen?
Overall a very delicious treat that must be created repeatedly, especially for my special chocoholic peanut butter friends. Well, when I stock up on more oatmeal of course. Forget the bread!

Dark Chocolate Dreams Banana Oatmeal Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup almond milk
1 ripened banana
2 teaspoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup quick rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoon Peanut Butter & Company's Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter
pinch of salt
sliced strawberries (optional)
handful chocolate chips (optional)

Combine almond milk, bana, agave nectar, and vanilla into a blender. Leave it to a slight chunky consistency.
In a medium heated small saucepan, bring this mixture to a boil.
Add rolled oats, cinnamon, and ginger.
Once it reaches desired thickness (about 3-5 minutes), turn off heat and stir in peanut butter and salt.
Garnish with strawberries and chocolate chips.

Bananas & dark chocolate peanut butter swirl together in a bowl of euphoric bliss.

Quick! Where's the spoon??? :D

Quick Stovetop Blueberry Oatmeal

Happiest bowl of oatmeal on earth!

Happy August, my vegan and vegetarian loving fiends!
It's been a great eight month achievement thus far and still feel like there's so much room for growth.
Like the obsession with zap, zap, zap technology has gotten to let go.
Usually, I make things in the microwave because it's quick and all so simple, but the fact of the matter is that stove top cooking is actually a more enjoyable process.
One of the reasons I find microwaved oatmeal heavenly delightful is because of the burst blueberry effect.
However, I recreated that very well in the saucepan and in almost the same amount of time.

Quick Stovetop Blueberry Oatmeal

1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup quick 1 minute rolled oats
1/2 cup soy milk

On medium heat, stir the blueberries and applesauce together in a saucepan.

One by one, smash the blueberries with the back of a fork.

Mix in the spices and sugar.

Stir in the oats.

Make sure to evenly coat.

Pour in the milk.

Stir until creamy consistency.

Add fresh fruit and almonds if desired.

Yummy work in a little under 5 minutes flat!!!
I licked the bowl clean.
Probably won't use sugar next time for this creamy, sweet, and flavorful fibrous breakfast jumpstarts the day in a warm, fulfilling satisfaction that even the most highly sugared box cereal couldn't compare.
Relished in slow appreciation, I ate my fruity, almond oatmeal with a glass of cold water, knowing that there's nothing greater than loving nature's nutrient enriched food and not harming a single animal for this indulgent, belly pleasure.
Mmmmmmmhmmmm. Goodness.

Creamy Brussels Sprouts & Broccoli Oatmeal

Yummy!

Usually my oatmeal combinations are on the sweet side- peanut butter and preserves oatmeal, chocolate chip oatmeal, fruit infused oatmeal, brown sugar oatmeal...
Yet lately, ever since using this ingredient in making burgers, it seemed a great idea to turn oatmeal into a savory dinner dish.

Creamy Brussels Sprouts & Broccoli Oatmeal Ingredients

1 12 oz package Brussels Sprouts
2 cups of broccoli
2 cups rolled oats
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Bring Brussels Sprouts & broccoli to a boil in about 2 1/2 cups water.

Dtrain the vegetable water directly into bowl of oats, stirring as it cooks.

Chop up the Brussels sprouts.

Add veggies to the cooked oatmeal.

Spice it up!

It turned out amazing.
A surprisingly superb flavor, the warm, vegetable infused oatmeal's consistency a cross between buttery mashed potatoes and mushy brown rice, it was a delicious experience good for anytime of the day. 
With little time to prepare- under 12 minutes, I highly recommend it, but will add chopped red onions, fresh herbs, and a pinch of unsweetened soy milk to make it even more yummy.

The leftovers were even still creamy. Sprinkled a bit more turmeric on top for the perfect yum!