Carrot Cake Oats

Carrot cake oats; the first porridge variation away from plain oats I tried. Admittedly quite a daring one to go for… I could have chosen maple syrup and fruit, but no, no, not me, I like to go all out.

I think the main reason I love this is because it is so warm and comforting. It tastes amazing and, on these cold mornings (North Yorkshire, England, I’m looking at you) you know it’s throwing loads of nourishment at your body when it needs it most.

This is a revision of recipe that I originally posted on the blog. The original ‘carrot cake oats’ incorporated a mashed banana into the mix as well, but truth be told (although a great variation) I rarely make it like that. I prefer it like this; the cinnamon comes through more and I think it works better with toppings this way. However both recipes are delicious and either way I definitely recommend giving this a try.

Ingredients: {serves 1}

1 cup dairy free milk (I love brown rice milk but oat, almond etc will work great too)

1/3 cup oats

1 carrot grated finely (around 1 cup)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings (optional but advised! At the moment I’m going through a coconut yogurt/ maple syrup phase, but I also love a sprinkle of granola, chopped dates and peanut butter)

Method:

Begin by heating the milk and vanilla extract in a medium sized saucepan on a mid-heat

As this heats, grate the carrot and combine with the oats with the cinnamon in a small bowl.

Once the milk has started to steam turn down the heat and add the oat-carrot mixture.

Cook for around 5 minutes, until the oats have absorbed the milk and the mix is hot and beautifully gooey (add a splash of water if you need a little more liquid whilst it cooks).

Pour into a bowl and top with toppings of choice!