vegan | gluten-free | quick | easy | oil-free | refined sugar-free | 15 minutes or less | spring | summer | breakfast

This is a quick and easy oatmeal to make with only real-food ingredients. A delicious way to eat those early, less-sweet berries (and wonderful with any strawberries, of course - even frozen!).

As we’re heading toward June, we’re relishing the warmer weather around here. And yet, there are still several cooler and even sometimes April showers kind of days. On those mornings, this is the breakfast I reach for: Chocolate Strawberry Oatmeal. It’s rich and flavorful, and it makes great use of those early strawberries that maybe aren’t quite ripe but are perfect for a strawberry sauce. It may look a bit fancy and involved, but this oatmeal actually comes together quickly and easily. It is such dreamy comfort on those cooler mornings.

This oatmeal is so good made with fresh strawberries in the spring and summer, but you can also use frozen strawberries to make it any time of year. Simply thaw the strawberries just enough to chop them and you’re good to go.

The strawberry sauce is nice and saucy on purpose so that the oatmeal is essentially floating in it luxuriously and it seeps into every bite. It’s just the way I like it, but if you’d prefer a thicker sauce, you can add a bit of arrowroot powder or cornstarch to thicken it up.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY OATMEAL

recipe

vegan | gluten-free | quick | easy | oil-free | refined sugar-free | 15 minutes or less | spring | summer

PRE-PREP TIME: 5 minutes | COOK TIME: 10 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes

Serves 6

Note: If using frozen strawberries, thaw them a bit ahead of time so that you can chop them. If you are gluten-free, look for oats specifically labeled “gluten-free.”

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups rolled oats

• 4 medjool dates

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk

• 1 ounce cacao wafers or unsweetened baking chocolate

• dash salt

• 1 pound strawberries (about 2 ½ cups), fresh or frozen

• 1 tablespoon fruit-sweetened strawberry preserves or maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Optional Toppings (divide between bowls):

Toppings note: The chocolate chips and Coconut Cacao Bliss are not refined sugar-free choices

• ¼ cup chocolate chips

• 1 tablespoon cacao nibs

• 1 tablespoon Coconut Cacao Bliss

• your favorite nut butter (I like pecan butter)

• whatever you’d like

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop the dates into small bits and place them, the oats, water, plant milk, cacao wafers/baking chocolate, and salt in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, chop the strawberries and place them in a small pot, along with the strawberry preserves/maple syrup and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low. When the oats are boiling, reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

3. When the oats are done, divide into serving bowls and top each serving with about ¼ cup of the strawberry sauce. Add desired toppings and serve. Extra servings can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

 

Looking for a nut butter recipe? Here’s one that goes well with this recipe and it’s easy to make: