CARROT CAKE OATMEAL

I was excited to learn about this recipe since throughout my life, carrot cake not only tasted great but carried with it many fond memories. It is awesomely delicious, so much so that I ended up eating it as a dessert too. Even when I replaced the maple syrup with blended dates, it was still sweet enough. I cooked mine in an Instant Pot pressure cooker to speed up the process but the recipe is for stove-top.

You can find this recipe by Angela Liddon at the “Oh She Glows” blog: Holiday Breakfast In A Jiffy: Carrot Cake Oatmeal

When possible, I try to use dates in place of maple syrup. Dr. Joel Fuhrman has a brief blog article discussing the problems with many sweeteners including maple syrup: The Health Risks of Natural Sweeteners

CARROT CAKE OATMEAL

Ingredients

For the oatmeal:

1 cup finely grated peeled carrot (Mine were organic so I did not peel)

1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk, plus more as needed (I made my own and blended a couple of dates into it with a high speed blender)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (I used dates instead)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Dash ground nutmeg, to taste

Pinch fine sea salt

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, to taste, optional (I added 1/4 tsp)

After cooking I mixed in 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed

Topping suggestions:

Chopped toasted walnuts (I added)

Raisins

Shredded coconut

Cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Finely grate the carrots on a box grater. Use the finest grate, rather than the standard-sized one, so the carrot shreds are very small. This helps the carrot cook quickly and blend into the oats. (I used a food processor then chopped into even smaller pieces.)

2. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, whisk together the almond milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt until smooth.

3. Stir in all of the grated carrots and oats.

4. Bring to a low boil and then reduce the heat to medium to simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 8 to 11 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened. Sometimes I stir in another tablespoon of almond milk if it's too thick.

5. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

6. Portion into bowl(s). Garnish the oatmeal with your desired toppings and enjoy immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple days.