Chocolate Oatmeal

Rosemary here. Time for another breakfast recipe. I love making breakfast! I have more energy in the mornings than in the evenings, the foods are pretty simple, and breakfast foods are yummy. What's not to love?

The other day I was poking around on Hulu and I found a clip from "The Chew" where they made chocolate oatmeal. It's almost more of a pudding than a porridge. You can make it sweeter and have it for dessert, but we've stuck to slightly less sweet and made it for breakfast. You can see the original video here. http://www.hulu.com/watch/582248

Nutritionally, I think this recipe is awesome. You have whole grain oatmeal, antioxidant rich cocoa, and the power of nuts. Today we added mixed berries to give it another antioxidant and flavor boost. We also used honey instead of brown sugar, largely because my honey is getting granulated and needs used up, but also because it is ever-so-slightly more healthy as well. My only problem with it is that it is a bit low in protein. So if you find it doesn't last you the morning, maybe have it with a glass of cow's or soy milk (they have more protein than almond milk) or have some nuts or an egg on the side. Typically though, I think the oatmeal has plenty of staying power, so I'm happy to just sprinkle some extra toasted almonds on top.

One final ingredient note. Almond milk is awesome! It helps give this oatmeal its great creamy texture. You can use other types of milk, but you'll get the best results by using almond milk. Just make sure that you adjust how much sugar you put in according to which kind you use. Unsweetened almond milk has no sugar, but vanilla almond milk has quite a bit, so taste before you add all the sugar.

Chocolate Oatmeal
Yield: 1 serving
Note: This recipe scales well (at least up to 4 servings, which is the most I've done), so multiply to fit the crowd you're feeding.

1 1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup regular rolled oats
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
pinch of salt (I skip this one)
toasted sliced or slivered almonds

Place almond milk and rolled oats in a stovetop pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes until done. Stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt (if using). Serve topped with toasted almonds.

Hint for serving to kids or impatient adults: You can cool this down quickly by adding frozen or semi-frozen berries or a splash of milk.


Rosemary