Apple Banana Baked Oatmeal

Yep! Still in it! Here is another great baked oatmeal with a fall theme!

Ingredients:

1 banana, mashed

4 eggs

1 c oats, blended 

1 t cinnamon

2 t baking powder

1 apple, diced

Directions:

1. Mash the banana.

2. Add in the eggs, and beat together.

3. Fold in oats, cinnamon, and baking powder.

4. Add diced apple.

5. Bake in a greased pan 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Apple Recipe Round-Up (Year Three)

Yes! Yes! It's apple season again. While I have not cooked with apples quite as much this year as it past years, I have enjoyed quite a few of my new favorite apple variety, the pink lady! My favorite way to eat this apple is chopped up and sprinkled with a little pumpkin pie spice from Trader Joe's. Here are a few other recipes I have tried so far this year:

Apple banana baked oatmeal (Recipe to come!)

Cinnamon applesauce (From The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook)

Mango apple chutney (From The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook)

And a few I have pinned for future consumption:

Apple cinnamon oatmeal muffins (Marsha's Baking Addiction)

Green vitality smoothie (Rise and Run Cookbook)

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Friends, what are your favorite apple varieties?

Do you have any favorite apple recipes?

Please share below.

The Apple Recipe Round-Up

I guess I just haven't been baking as much this year, but still, it's fall, y'all, so gotta share all the autumnal recipes. Here's the apple edition:

Easy microwave apple mugcake (Oats Lady)

Apple pie blended baked oats (Upbeet Kitchen)

Apple cheddar superhero muffins (Rise and Run cookbook)

Mellow apple pancakes (The Flavor of Wisconsin cookbook)

Small batch apple granola (One Dish Kitchen)

Russian red cabbage with apples (Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker cookbook)

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Has anyone gone apple picking lately? I haven't, but it sounds fun! Feel free to share your favorite apple adventures and/recipes in the comments section.

Apple Recipe Round-Up (Year Two)

We should eat the seasons, right? And you know what season it is? Apple season. Apples are finally getting cheaper, and I am eating it up, literally. Below are a few apples recipes we have recently enjoyed:

Breakfast

Apple cinnamon baked oatmeal (Eating Bird Food)

Apple cinnamon cottage cheese breakfast bowl (Budget Bytes)

Apple pie high protein overnight oats (Bucket List Tummy)

Instant Pot apple pie steel cut oats (All Recipes) 

Pumpkin apple baked oatmeal (The Recipe Runner)

Three-ingredient flourless apple pancake (Food 52)

Desserts

Apple Betty (Better Homes and Gardens cookbook recipe)

Applesauce cake (Chocolate Covered Katie)

Easy and delicious paleo caramel apples (Rachl Mansfield)

Healthier homemade apple dumplings (Gourmet Done Skinny)

Two-ingredient apple oatmeal donuts (Kirbie's Cravings)

Two ingredient apple oatmeal cookies (Kirbie's Cravings)

Snacks and Sides:

Apple chai energy balls (Fit Foodie Finds)

*I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the honey, as I did not have apple chips.

Instant Pot apple pepper jelly (Sweet Pea's Kitchen)

Apple Recipe Round-Up

You know I like a good recipe roundup. And you know I like pumpkin. But when the initial pumpkin shortage tempered my normal fall baking pattern, I knew I had to find a new theme. Enter apples. They're a fall frivolity and one I often fail to showcase, despite how much I enjoy them. Enter the apple recipe a week for fall challenge. Below are just a few of the fruits of my labor:

Apple cinnamon buttermilk quick bread (The Kitchn)

Apple stuffed baked oatmeal (inspired by this recipe)

Apple cider granola (Allison Day/Yummy Beet)

Apple pie overnight oats (Budget Bytes)

Apple peanut butter baked oatmeal 

Baked apple cider donuts (Sally's Baking Addiction)

Chocolate turmeric applesauce baked oatmeal

Feel free to share any of your favorite apple recipes in the comments section. It's still apple season!

Salted Lemon Apple Oats

If you've perused my blog, you know that I'm into oats. It's hot and humid here because of Arizona's monsoon season, however, and lately a warm bowl of porridge hasn't sounded good. These, however, hit the spot.

If you're looking for a nice summer oatmeal recipe, this might be it. Fresh lemon + crisp apple + a nice topping of salt = summer bliss.

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 1/2 c water
1 apple, diced
1 T lemon juice
A sprinkle of coarse salt (I used red Hawaiian sea salt.)

Directions:

1. Bring oats, apple, and water to a boil and reduce heat to medium. 
2. Stir in lemon juice.
3. When oats reach desired consistency and apples are tender, transfer oatmeal to a bowl.
4. Top with a sprinkle of coarse salt and dig in.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Pumpkin Apple with Maple Peanut Butter Drizzle

Hooray! I've reached my final day of oatmeal, and I wanted to celebrate with a special bowl of porridge. Enter pumpkin apple oats with a maple peanut butter drizzle.

The Oatmeal Artist has done pumpkin apple before, but what makes this bowl special is the maple peanut butter over the smooth, spicy, and warm porridge. See all that melted peanut butter gooeyness on top of the oats? Yum!

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
2 T pumpkin puree
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1 apple, diced
1 T peanut butter
1 t maple syrup
1 t coconut oil

Directions:

1. Combine diced apple, oats, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. When oats reach desired consistency, stir in pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
3. Transfer oats to a bowl.
4. In a separate pan, melt peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Drizzle over oats and enjoy!

30 Days of Oatmeal: Lemon Vanilla Cinnamon

Think of the sweetness of a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day, the thirst-quenching tang of lemon melded with the smooth syrup of sugar. I've replicated that here, using no sugar, and only four ingredients.

Try apples (my choice here), berries, nut butter, or yogurt as toppings. The sky's the limit.

Ingredients:

1/2 c rolled oats
1 c water
1 t cinnamon
2 T lemon juice
1 t vanilla
Topping(s) of your choice

Directions:

1. Combine  water and oats in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to  medium low.

2. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla.

3. Transfer oats to a bowl and add your choice of toppings.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Thai Apple Oats

Those who know me well know I love Thai food, especially Thai noodles. The savory, spicy, sweet sauce made from rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and a few other ingredients is one of my favorites. Drawing on the Thai condiments in my cupboard, I developed this recipe.

Warm apples sautéed in sesame oil, chopped peanuts, and if you're brave, a little rice vinegar in the oat base. Are you ready?

Ingredients:

1/2 t sesame oil
1 apple, chopped (I used gala)
1/2 c quick cooking oatmeal
1 c water
1/2 t cinnamon
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 c unroasted peanuts, chopped
Sea salt for topping

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, warm the sesame oil. Add the apples and sauté over medium heat until slightly brown.
2. In another pan, combine the oatmeal and water and bring to a boil.
3. Lower heat to low and simmer until oats reach desired consistency.
4. Stir cinnamon and rice vinegar into oats and transfer to a bowl.
5. Top oats with a scant layer of sea salt, the chopped peanuts, and the sautéed apples.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Balsamic Apple

Once again, I went with a simple oat base so that I could focus on my topping. Today's gem: chopped apples sautéed in balsamic vinegar and vanilla.

The balsamic vinegar (once cooked off), added a nice sweetness and tang to the apples. I think the vinegar smell permeated our house, though, because my dad asked, "What are you eating for snack?" The perils of recipe experimentation...

Ingredients:

For the stewed apples:
1 small apple (I used gala), diced
2 T balsamic vinegar


For the oats:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water

1 t vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine the  chopped apple, balsamic vinegar, and vanilla in a small sauce pan. Cook until liquid reduces to a thick syrup and apples are tender.

2. In a separate pan, combine water and oats and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.

3. When oats reach the desired consistency, add the vanilla and stir to combine.

5. Transfer oatmeal to a bowl and top the sautéed apples.

30 Days of Oatmeal: Apple Almond Cardamom

 If you haven't noticed, oatmeal is a major part of my life. Not only is it a comfort food that I enjoy in various forms (overnight, hot, and granola), but it is cheap, full of whole-grain carbohydrates and fiber, and helps lower cholesterol. I feel more satisfied, more energetic when I eat oatmeal, but I often don't because I get lazy. I don't want to get out a measuring cup, pour in the water, boil the porridge, etc. I just want to grab some ready made food and eat.

In the spirit of New Year's resolutions, I've decided to challenge myself to create 30 new varieties of oatmeal. I'm reminding myself that I'll have some duds along the way, that every bowl won't photograph stupendously, and that sometimes, I need to do things because they're good for me, not because that's what I want at the moment.

So without further ado, here's recipe #1: apple almond cardamom oatmeal.

This wasn't the best recipe, kind of bitter and unsatisfying, until I added the honey drizzle. The honey melded the almond, apple, and earthy cardamom into a delectable blend of sweetness. Mmm! More experimentation with cardamom in the future....

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 c water
1 apple, diced
1/4 t cardamom
1/4 t almond extract
Honey for topping

Directions:

1. Bring oats, apple, and water to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
2. When apples are tender and oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the cardamom and almond extract.
3. Transfer oatmeal to a bowl and drizzle with honey.

Ginger Lemon Oats with Stewed Apples

I went a little crazy with my flavor combinations this time. This wasn't my favorite bowl of oats ever, but I did enjoy it. Plus, ginger is good for the tummy, and an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Add cinnamon that helps control blood sugar and the protein of natural peanut butter, and you've got yourself a healthy bowl of oats!

Plus, the bowl looks pretty. Don't you think?

Ingredients:

1 apple, diced
1 t vanilla
3 T water

1/2 c rolled oats
1 c water
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t ground ginger

2 T natural peanut butter
1/2 t cinnamon
Enough water to make a paste

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine the apple, vanilla, and water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Allow the apples to cook until the water evaporates and a thick syrup forms around the apples.
2. Transfer the apples to a bowl, and add the oats and water to the same pan.
3. Bring the oats to a boil and allow them to cook until thick and rich.
4. Add the lemon juice, ginger, and a little more water. Cook until the oats reach the desired consistency.
5. In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter, cinnamon, and enough water to form a paste.
6. Transfer the oats to a bowl and top with the stewed apples and cinnamon peanut butter.

Crisp Apple Spice Oatmeal

Fall has arrived, and with it colder morning and evening temperatures, which means more oats! The apple harvest has also started, bringing with it a fresh crop of apples, specifically my favorite variety: Gala. I made this apple oatmeal a few nights ago to capitalize on Fall's bounty.

Normally, I like to stew my apples, but this time, I cooked them with the oats. This left them with an edge of crispness that accentuated the fall spices of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Plus, I topped this porridge with two nut butter, allowing me to hand-craft each spoonful of Fall goodness.

Ingredients:

1/2 c quick oats
1 c water
1 apple, chopped
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
1 T almond butter
1 T peanut butter

Directions:

1. Combine the oats, apple, water, and spices in a small sauce pan.
2. Cook until the liquid absorbs and the oats are creamy.
3. Top with 1 T each of almond and peanut butter.

Enjoy!

Salted Cardamom Apple Oatmeal

I made The Oatmeal Artist's strawberry cardamom oatmeal last Sunday, and honestly, I was disappointed. I found the porridge bitter and tart, not sweet and spicy like I wanted. Even the coconut cashew butter tasted bland. The Oatmeal Artist's statement, "I will not rest until I add cardamom to every single thing I can think of," got me thinking, however. I paid a good price for my little bottle of cardamom. I do like its spice. But how? Enter salted cardamom apple oatmeal.

This is how: Tender apples stewed with cardamom and vanilla, a dollop of coconut cashew butter, and a sprinkle of pink Himalayan sea salt. This is the best bowl of oats I've had in awhile, hands down.

Ingredients:

For the stewed apples:
1 small apple (I used gala), diced
1/4 t cardamom
1 t vanilla
3 T water
(Technique adapted from The Breakfast Drama Queen's Apple and Cherry Strudel Oatmeal)


For the oats:

1/2 c rolled oats
1 c water
 
For topping:

The Oatmeal Artist's Coconut cashew butter

A sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

1. Combine apple, cardamom, vanilla, and water in a small sauce pan. Cook until liquid reduces to a thick syrup and apples are tender.

2. Remove apple from pan. Add water and oats. 

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

4. When oats reach the desired consistency, add the stewed apples. Stir to combine.

5. Transfer oatmeal to a bowl and top with coconut cashew butter and sea salt. (The sea salt is a must as it both enhances and blends the flavors.)