Apple Pie Oatmeal

There was a time - okay a long time, like over 20 years - when I hated oatmeal. Mushy tasteless goo. Now though I eat it all the time. Well right now I'm going through a green monster for breakfast phase, but I'm sure I'll get back into my oatmeal for breakfast everyday phase soon enough. My oatmeal feelings turned with this carrot cake oatmeal. In the summer I loved having vegan overnight oats with my favourite combination being a gingerbread type version with cinnamon, blackstrap molasses (iron power!) and a chopped apple. This oatmeal has apple too, but it's more an apple pie oatmeal with walnuts, ginger and maple syrup. It really does taste like apple pie, and is so nice, warm and comforting on a cold morning.

For those of you that have no idea what a green monster is or what vegan overnight oats are, I'll attempt a brief description. I think I first found out about them from Angela. My regular green monster includes 1 cup of nondairy milk, 1 tbsp flax seeds (or chia seeds but it makes it super thick), lots of spinach (maybe 2 cups?), a banana, 1/2 cup of frozen berries, and 1/3 cup old fashioned oats. If you've never tried a green monster, I'm sure they sound terrible and scary but they're really tasty and provide at least 4 servings of fruits/vegetables first thing in the morning!

As for vegan overnight oats, you basically mix up your oatmeal the night before, and eat it cold instead of heating it up. The overnight rest allows the oatmeal to soften, and the chia seeds to thicken everything up. My normal vegan overnight oats includes 1 cup nondairy milk, 1/3 cup old fashioned oats, 1 tbsp chia seeds and 1 chopped fruit (banana or apple usually). Sometimes I add a few nuts or cinnamon. My gingerbread version adds 1 tablespoon of blackstrap molasses and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I never add sweetener to my oatmeal except blackstrap molasses. I don't like too sweet breakfasts.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Oatmeal & Wheat Germ Raspberry Scones
Perfectly Crunchy Granola
Gingerbread Waffles

Apple Pie Oatmeal
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Serves 1

1/3 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1 medium apple, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp chopped walnuts

In a medium sized pot over medium heat, whisk together all ingredients. (If you want to save the walnuts to sprinkle them on top, then don't add them.) Heat over medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often. When the mixture thickens and the liquid is absorbed, it's ready. (If you saved the walnuts, sprinkle them on now.)