I get why overnight oats and other recipes using the whole grain have blown up in popularity. When combined with something wet – meaning any kind of milk, yogurt or even mashed bananas – the oats soak up the liquid beautifully and fill your stomach for hours as they slowly release energy. I used to regularly make my own granola bars to have for breakfast that would fill me up without being too heavy since I'm not big on eating in the mornings. So, here are a few recipes to inspire you to use oats more in your day-to-day life.
Let's start with my breakfast-to-go. It's super simple and entirely up to you to experiment, incorporate what you like! I’m also not going to bother with exact measurements because there aren't any. For this vegan recipe, you only need overripe bananas and plain oats, enhancing it is up to you.
Mash your bananas then gradually add the oats while mixing until the consistency is thick, the amount of oats needed depends entirely on how soft your bananas are. You will know your mix is thick enough when you can stand your spoon upright in the bowl. If you don't want to add anything else to the granola bars, then now is the time to pour the mix onto a wide baking tray lined with baking paper.
Spread the mix across the tin as thick as you want your bars to be. Bake it gently at around 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit) as you are essentially drying it out for about 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and directly cut the granola slab to the size and shapes you want and let them cool off on a cooling rack. If they are still too moist, you can throw them back into the oven for a few minutes.
Since I like different textures and flavors in my bars, I like to add crushed hazelnuts and finely chopped raisins. The crunch of the nuts makes for a satisfying contrast and I just love the pop of sweetness that the raisins provide. As we didn’t add any sugar, you can add chocolate chips to make it just a tad sweeter, I sometimes like to add the bitter kind. If you feel like being fancy, you can even dip one side of the granola bar in chocolate and make it extra yummy.
Store these in airtight containers preferably in the fridge. The bars are usually are good for a week but if you dried them more, they might hold for a bit longer. Making small batches and eating them quickly is definitely the best way to go about it because they can and will go bad if you let them hang around for too long.
If granola bars aren't your thing you can always go for overnight oats. I like to do this from time to time when I know I won’t have time in the morning and need something to munch on while I check my morning mail. Bringing this along to work is of course an option as well. However, I need to say this: Just because I eat while I work doesn’t mean I endorse this behavior. It actually distracts you from eating and you might end up eating more than you usually would, so I recommend consuming food consciously whenever possible.
The recipe here is a suggestion, you can – and most definitely should – add whatever you like to this. When I say milk, feel free to use whatever kind your prefer – plant-based ones work just as well if not better, even yogurt can be used as a substitute.
Ingredients
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together except the bananas. Add a few spoonfuls to a sealable container and alternate layering a few slices of bananas with the mixture. Close the lid and refrigerate for at least three to four hours. Take the mix out of the fridge a few minutes before you want to eat it to help it come down to room temperature. Add or top off with more fresh fruit if you like.
Tips
If you want to use dried fruits you can most definitely go that route, however, they can be pretty tough to eat so it's best to soften them in water. Again, if you like different textures, nuts are the way to go!
While I always love me some pancakes, I must admit the oat version definitely satisfies my hunger more than the other variations. I really like to go with the flow and enjoy making my own oat flour using my kitchen aid since I usually have plenty of oats on hand at home.
Ingredients
Instructions
First off, let your kitchen aid do the work turning the oats into flour, you'll know it's ready when things get dusty. Then add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix it well. If you think the mixture is too runny, let it rest a bit as the oats will suck up the liquid and make it thicker. If the mix is way too thick already don’t be afraid to add more milk into it until it gets gloopy. The consistency is also up to you, if you prefer more of a crepe that you can adorn with toppings, then make the batter runny, or you can choose to keep it thick and even add other ingredients to the mix, like bits of apples, raisins or even chocolate chips.
Who says that oats need to be sweet all the time? You can of course go the savory route as well. While some people like to turn the oats into flour for this I prefer to keep the grain whole. Again, I’m not giving an exact recipe here because it is entirely up to your tastes to enhance it. Get your eggs, I like to calculate two eggs per person and add a dash of milk for each pair of eggs. Add a tablespoon of oats again for each pair of eggs and go nuts with all the vegetables or herbs you like! Dill, parsley and peppers are just the tip of the iceberg.
My secret tip for making omelets is to roast some sesame seeds in the pan with just a bit of oil (if you have sesame oil, even better). Constantly stir the seeds until they turn a light brown color and then pour your eggy mixture over it. Give it a very quick stir to avoid the seeds from going black and cook the omelet on both sides. The sesame seeds give it such an amazing taste that you won't want to go back to traditional omelets.
