Vegan Raisin Cinnamon Roll Oats

It has been unbearably cold the past day or two here in New Jersey, and my room felt like it was -15 degrees when I woke up this morning. So oats were pretty much a necessity. They're the perfect, cozy breakfast and not sure if it's just me, but when it's cold, I want sweets. 

So I was going through flavors in my head and decided to go with cinnamon raisin, a winning combo, and for some reason it just reminds me of winter. But then I decided to add a cream cheese spread on top. I fed my sister a bowl, and her response was "this tastes like Cinnabon!" So basically she decided that these were raisin cinnamon roll oats. Great story, I know. But really, they taste pretty darn good.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup rolled oats
-2 cups and 1 tsp unsweetened almond milk, separated
-1 tbsp cinnamon
-2 tbsp and 1 tsp maple syrup
-2 tbsp raisins
-1 tbsp chia seeds
-Pinch of sea salt
-1 tbsp Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese style spread
-1 tsp slivered almonds
-Additional raisins and cinnamon as desired

Instructions:

1) Mix the rolled oats and almond milk together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2) Once boiling, reduce heat to low and begin stirring regularly.
3) Add in the tbsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp maple syrup, sea salt, and 2 tbsp raisins. Keep stirring until oats thicken.
4) Mix in the chia seeds and cook until oats reach desired consistency.
5) In a bowl, mix together the Kite Hill spread, 1 tsp almond milk, and 1 tsp maple syrup until smooth.
6) Split the oats between two bowls. Top each bowl with half of the Kite Hill mixture, slivered almonds, and additional raisins and cinnamon as desired.
7) Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oats

Is it just me, or are Tuesdays the worst? Mondays are pretty bad, but at least you're fresh off the weekend. On Tuesday's the weekday blues are in full effect, and you're still pretty freakin' far from the weekend.

This morning I decided that I would not give into Tuesday. In fact, I was going to eat chocolate for breakfast! And then slather it in peanut butter! And obviously add bananas for good measure. So I did just that.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 cup rolled oats
-2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
-1 tbsp and 2 tsp natural creamy peanut butter, separated (I use Crazy Richard's Peanut Butter)
-2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
-1.5 bananas, sliced and separated
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-Dash of sea salt
-2 small pieces of dark chocolate (at least 70% - I used Endangered Species Chocolate's dark chocolate with cocoa nibs which is 72%)

Instructions:

1) Mix together the oats and almond milk on the stove top over high heat. Cook until boiling.
2) Once boiling, reduce to low heat, and begin stirring regularly for about 3-5 minutes.
3) Add in the cocoa powder, 1 tbsp peanut butter, sea salt, 1 sliced banana, and maple syrup. Continue to stir regularly as the oats thicken.
4) Continue to heat and stir until the oats reach your desired consistency (about 5-10 minutes depending on your stove).
5) Remove from heat, and split the oats between two bowls. 
6) Stick one small piece of dark chocolate into the middle of each bowl immediately.
7) Split the remaining banana slices to top the two bowls.
8) Drizzle 1 tsp of peanut butter on top of each bowl.
9) Enjoy!

By sticking the chocolate in when the oats are right off the stove top, it should melt that little piece of chocolate. It is AMAZING! In general, this combo is pretty heavenly, but that little tiny square gives it just that extra something. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Spicy Vegan Collard Green Wrap with Sriracha Chickpeas

If you haven't already gotten the picture, I am a HUGE fan of heat. I love spicy anything, and hot sauce is my jam, especially sriracha. So one day when I was making one of my veggie bowls, I decided why not sriracha chickpeas? They'd be perfect in a veggie, wrap, salad, basically anything and everything. So I made them, and they exceeded my wildest dreams. They add a kick to anything while keeping that delicious chickpea flavor. 

So yesterday comes, and I decided that I wanted to throw them in a collard green wrap. I knew from multiple veggies bowls that they are perfect with basically all roasted veggies, so roasted broccoli was a go. But I wanted something else to pull it all together, and naturally because I'm a spicy freak, the Hope Foods jalapeno cilantro hummus in the fridge jumped out at me. My mouth was a little nervous, but my mind was super excited!

So I did it, and my mouth was screaming for mercy at times, but it was FANTASTIC. It's really a spicy lover's dream. And if you don't think you can handle the heat, feel free to switch it out with any other flavor of hummus.

Here's what you'll need:

-4 large collard green leaves
-1 15 oz can of chickpeas, strained and rinsed
-4 tbsp sriracha
-1 large head of broccoli florets
-2 tbsp olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-8 tbsp Hope Foods jalapeno cilantro hummus 

Instructions:

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the broccoli florets in the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
2) Once preheated, throw the broccoli into the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
3) On the stove top mix together the chickpeas and sriracha over high heat. Let the chickpeas heat for about 3-5 minutes, mixing every so often. The high heat will cause the sriracha to become a coating on the chickpeas versus just a sauce that comes right off. Remove from heat once the chickpeas are coated.
4) In the center of each collard green leaf, spread 2 tbsp of the hummus. Split up the chickpeas and broccoli between each. You want all ingredients to stay about an inch or two from the edges so that the leaf can be easily wrapped.
5) Roll each leaf long ways tucking the ends in right before the final roll. 
6) Cut each wrap in half, and enjoy!

Let me know if you can handle the heat in the comments below! I'd love to hear from ya.

Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Rolled Oats

Do you ever wake up just craving peanut butter, or is that only me? Sometimes your soul just needs it. Well, that was definitely how I was feeling after this past weekend, and what better way to compliment that peanut butter than with some banana. It's really the perfect flavor combo - salty and sweet and just delicious.

I woke up Monday freezing cold. I slept with my window open and fan on, and I was seriously chilled to bone. I ran to my closet throwing on sweatpants and a sweatshirt, but I needed something to really warm me up. So peanut butter banana oats it was! And they did not disappoint one bit!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 cup rolled oats
-2 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 heaping tbsp smooth, unsweetened peanut butter (ideally organic) and 2 additional tsp separated
-1 banana, sliced
-Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
-Chia seeds if desired

Instructions:

1) Mix together the oats and almond milk and heat in a pan over medium high heat until boiling.
2) Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and start mixing regularly. Cook for about 5-7 minutes.
3) Add in the vanilla, maple syrup, sea salt, heaping tbsp of peanut butter, and majority of the banana slices. I saved about 10-12 slices to top the oats.
4) Cook until the oats look complete (about another 5-7 minutes), mixing regularly.
5) Remove the oats from the heat and split between two bowls.
6) Top each bowl with half of the remaining banana slices, 1 tsp of peanut butter, and chia seeds if desired.
7) Enjoy!

I hope this not only warms you up on these cooler mornings but also hits the spot for that peanut butter craving! Let me know what you think in the comments below!
 

Vegan PB&J Overnight Oats

This past weekend was hectic. I was up by 7 and out of the house before 8 both days, so breakfast wasn't a main priority. Even some weekdays I don't give myself enough time, and I'm rushing around to throw something together before work. Peanut butter and jelly toast is a nice quick option, but I really prefer to get other forms of nutritional value in my meals.

Then it dawned on me - why not make my breakfast the night before? It's easy, and it would make my morning routing less chaotic. I could do overnight oats. Just throw the ingredients in a Tupperware container at night, and I'm good to go in the morning. But I wanted to amplify it a little, and with PB&J on the brain, I came up with this recipe for PB&J overnight oats. It's a great source of fiber and protein (and also sneaks in some fruit).

Here's what you'll need:

For the peanut butter oats:
-1/2 cup rolled oats (these are different than instant oatmeal, so make sure you grab rolled oats)
-1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
-1/2 tbsp black chia seeds
-1 tbsp vanilla hemp protein powder (I used Nutiva brand)
-1 tbsp peanut butter

For the jelly:
-1 tbsp natural fruit preserves (the preserves should match the fresh fruit of your choice. I used strawberry)
-2 tbsp chopped fruit (I used 3 strawberries - 1 to top the oats)

Instructions:

1) Mix together the ingredients for the peanut butter oats the night before.
2) Store and refrigerate over night.
3) In the morning, slice the strawberries or other fruit, and mix 2/3 of the fruit with the tbsp of fruit preserves.
4) Place the fruit and preserve mixture at the bottom of your bowl or glass, add the oat mixture, and top with the remaining fruit slices.
5) Enjoy!

Also feel free to layer the fruit throughout instead of just at the bottom. It's just a matter of what you prefer. Let me know what you think!