30 Days of Oatmeal: Orange Peanut Butter Blossom Oatmeal

I found some orange extract in the back of Mom's cupboard. I wanted to use it, but didn't want to miss out on my nightly dose of chocolate. (I often eat oatmeal as a nighttime snack before bed.) I remembered the chocolate oranges I had growing up, and this recipe was born.

I didn't know how peanut butter would play into this recipe, but I wanted it, so I added it. It really blended the flavors and made the orange and cocoa flavors stand out. Without the topping, the porridge was just bland.

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
4 t dark cocoa powder
1/2 t orange extract
2 T natural peanut butter

Directions:

1. Bring oats and water to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
2. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the cocoa, and orange extract.
3. Transfer oatmeal to a bowl and top with peanut butter. Swirl the peanut butter into the oatmeal for the best effect.

Citrus Basil Oatmeal

What do you do when you have leftover orange wedges? Incorporate them into oatmeal, of course! This recipe was inspired The Oatmeal Artist's basil chocolate zucchini oatmeal. It was there that I learned to chiffonade basil.

This clean tasting oatmeal was light, refreshing, and just right for the start of spring and the transition into spring. (Oranges are in season right now, after all.)

Ingredients:

½ c quick oats

1 c water
¼ c unsweetened applesauce
1 t lemon juice (I think I would use more next time to amp up the citrus flavor.
Peeled, orange segments

Chiffonaded basil

Directions:

1. Bring water and oats to a boil and reduce heat to medium.

2. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the lemon juice and applesauce. Simmer oatmeal on low until some of the liquid from the applesauce absorbs and the oats become thick and rich.

3. Transfer oatmeal to a bowl and top with the orange segments and chiffonaded basil

Broiled Orange Oatmeal

Oranges are in season, but sometimes it is hard for me to want to eat them. Therefore, I decided to try something new: putting oranges in my oatmeal. I read on The Oatmeal Artist blog that it is hard to make orange flavor come through, so I went all out for this recipe: zesting orange, and using juice in the actual oatmeal, then topping the oatmeal with broiled orange slices. (I had never broiled oranges before.) I will admit that this recipe was pretty orange-y, but it was still a fun experiment in cooking.

Ingredients:

½ c quick cooking oatmeal

1 c water

1 T ground flax seed

¼ t ground cinnamon

1 orange

1 t brown sugar

Drizzle of honey for topping.

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the orange.

2. Zest the orange on a zester, or a fine grater. (Zesting means grating off the orange part of the skin until only the white pith remains.)

3. Cut the orange in half and juice it. (Use a juicer, or simply squeeze the orange juice into a cup.) Discard the peel.

4. Bring water and oats to a boil. Reduce heat to medium.

5. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the flax seed, cinnamon, orange zest, and orange juice.

6. Meanwhile, slice the remaining half of an orange. Spread each slice of orange with approximately 1/4 t of brown sugar. Broil until sugar is crystallized and the edges of the orange peel are slightly dark.

7. When oatmeal has absorbed orange juice, transfer it to a bowl and drizzle the bowl with honey (or sprinkle with more brown sugar-this oatmeal is very tart). Top with the broiled orange slices.

Enjoy.