A curious dust turned delicious bowl of porridge.

Helllooo! So I know it’s technically spring, so hot-oatmeal days are soon to be over :( BUT seeing as it’s still a little chilly here (I live in Chicago, where you are never guaranteed warm weather. It sometimes snows in April. Yes, April), I thought I’d still share another creation of mine : the almond & oat flour porridge.

It’s yummy, it’s comforting, it’s filling, it’s slightly different. It’s basically ME in a bowl. For real, it has all my favorite ingredients. Let me take you back to when I first came up with this combo.

Back then, I didn’t realize that it was just oat flour. I was simply fascinated by this peculiar beige-colored dust leftover from my baking. I can’t remember exactly what I had been making, but it involved blitzing up oats in a food processor then adding almond flour (or almond meal). For some reason, I had made too much of the mixture, so there was some leftover. What should I do with it? I thought. I was sure as hell not going to throw it away. It was just oats and almonds. So I decided to cook the mix, like I would oats.

Into the pan it went, followed by some almond milk. My face twisted and frowned as I hovered over the stove, watching the little bubbles rise to the top. I was curious. How would it taste?

Well, the result was divine. Creamy. Unctuous. Delicious. It had this incredible texture : the oat flour turned almost creamy when cooked with liquid, but the graininess of the almond meal lent it that palatable appeal. And that’s without talking about the FLAVOR. Almonds + oats = fantastic. So that is how this recipe was born. A leftover. But now it’s one of those I turn to when I need some comfort. This bowl literally screams cozy. It doesn’t have the prettiest appearance - because of the one-dimensional color - but WHO CARES? When you have something this good and nourishing, the looks are the least of my worries ;)

I love to serve it with almond butter and dark chocolate. Specifically those two. The almond butter obviously echoes the ground almonds in the porridge, while also lending it that super creamy stick-to-your-palate type of mouthfeel (which I looveee ;) I know almond butter can be quite controversial as some consider it too overpowering, but I find it irresistible here. I’ve actually never tried it with another nut butter, so if anyone does can you let me know? Ok cool, thanks. Now back to the accoutrements. The dark chocolate, as it melts and oozes, adds dimension to the oats which can otherwise be bland. Its bitterness also contrasts with the strong flavor of almonds. Lastly, I love to add cacao nibs - yes more chocolate. The nibs not only add more bitterness (depending on how much you add), but they also contribute a great crunch. Texture, ya’ll. It’s all about texture :)

One thing I will say is, be prepared to feel full. But in a good way. This oatmeal is full of healthy fats, antioxidants (if you add the chocolate ;) fiber and slow releasing carbs! also a nice amount of protein :) It nourishes both my body and soul (cheesy I know, but it’s the truth). The sticky, gloppy oats with the creamy almond butter, the bite of the cacao nibs and the smoothness of the chocolate is pure bliss. Even better with a steaming mug of tea and a good book or magazine.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of oat four (or oats blended in a food processor)

• 2 tbsp almond meal/flour

• a pinch of salt (preferably flaky)

• 2 tsp flaxseed meal (this is optional but gives a nice tang)

• water or milk (I use a bit of water and a bit of almond milk)

• dark chocolate, however much you desire

• almond butter

• cacao nibs

• other optional toppings or mix-ins : banana, dried fruit, chia seeds

Method

• In a pan, add oat flour, almond flour and salt and stir together. Turn the heat on low/medium and add in water. I don’t have exact measurements for this because i add and adjust as I go. Start with a small amount, probably just enough to hydrate the mixture (remember you can always add liquid to make it more creamy, but it’s hard to omit).

• Cook until the mixture has absorbed all the liquid and it’s getting creamy. Usually, this takes very little time, so if it’s looking too dry, add liquid in splashes (yes, this is not an exact science). The end result should be creamy and kind of “gloppy” if that makes sense.

• Next, layer the almond butter and chocolate in between layers of the oats, so that the two melt and get all oozy. Add about half the mixture of oats into a bowl, top with almond butter and chocolate then layer over remaining oats. Add more chocolate and almond butter, then add cacao nibs !

• Tuck into a yummy bowl of oats :)

My first post ! Welcome :)

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first post on Chocolate & Oats, my personal food blog dedicated to sharing delicious, yummy, and wholesome foods to the world :)) I already have an Instagram page called chocolate.and.oats, but seeing as the world of Instagram is a bit tough to keep up with, and I like to write a lot, I decided to transfer my blog to my website! I hope you’ll like it :)

I’ll try to post maybe once a week but mostly, it will depend on my mood and inspiration. I want to be as authentic and true to myself as I can, so I hope you’ll join me for this ride :) In addition to food, I will be sharing a little bit about myself. I am a very curious human being. Sometimes, my mind is so filled with thoughts and ideas, that I have to physically stop what I’m doing in order to ponder over them. To just let myself be. Anyone else experience this?! (If yes, please share! I would love to know your stories :)

I also enjoy writing. A lot. Sometimes it’ll be full-on stream of consciousness style, other times it might be more structured, less random, and sometimes more stylized. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I hope you’ll enjoy either way.

Now onto a recipe! To begin, I thought I’d share the OG overnight oats recipe that started this blog (and also influenced the title if you hadn’t guessed ;) I love oats (they’re little morsels & SO versatile), and I am a chocoholic (seriously I have chocolate every. single. day.) so that’s sort of how the name was born. Now for the oats. I came up with this recipe over time, tweaking and adjusting the combinations of ingredients. Since this is overnight oats, meaning it doesn’t require specific measurements in order to achieve some scientific reaction, the quantities are not exact. Really, it’s up to you. I’m just giving you the idea and the method. But if you want more chocolate? Definitely add more. If you want less chia seeds? Who’s gonna stop you? Oat milk instead of almond milk? You do you man, you do you. One thing however that you cannot omit (absolutely not) is the salt. The salt is crucial. Trust me. You’ve probably read and heard this countless times, but salt really does bring out the flavor of everything. And extra points if you use FLAKY salt. Yes you read that correctly. Flaky salt. Those little translucent pyramid crystals you’ve seen everywhere on the gram, probably on some chocolate chip cookies or an avo toast?? Yep, they’re in here. And they’re hear to make the others shine :)

So I present to you my go-to delicious chocolate overnight oats recipe :) I really hope you like it and that you will join me on this experience as I try to express my thoughts, emotions, and grapple with the intensity of, well you know, LIFE. <3

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (approx.) rolled oats (I use Bob’s red mill gluten free rolled oats. They are THE BEST)

• hefty pinch of salt

• 1 tsp chia seeds

• 1 heaping tbsp cacao powder (if you don’t have cacao, you can use unsweetened cocoa powder! The one from Trader Joe’s is very good)

• 2-3 prunes, chopped (alternatively, you could use dried figs or even raisins! I’ve tried both and they’re equally delicious. However, if you use dried figs, I would recommend soaking them in hot water before you slice as they tend to be very dry and hard to work with.)

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp hemp protein powder (you could replace this with some other protein powder, but I’ve only ever tried it with hemp protein - since it doesn’t contrast too much with the other flavors and isn’t overpowering. You could also just omit the protein powder altogether.)

• cacao nibs

• brown rice cereal (I like to use One Degree Organics brown rice cereal for that extra dose of flavor and nostalgia - I was obsessed with Cocoa Krispies as a kid - but you could use any type of cereal. The key here is crunch and crispiness.)

• any type of nut butter (my faves are almond and peanut depending on my mood)

• jam (I typically like strawberry, peach or apricot)

• heaping 1/4 cup of almond milk, or another type of milk

• 1/4 cup water

Method

• Mix oats, salt, chia seeds, cacao powder, cinnamon, and protein powder in a bowl (or you can be trendy and pop it in a mason jar ;)

• Add water and almond milk and stir to combine. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight or for up to 3 days.

• When you’re ready to eat, top with cacao nibs, cereal of choice, nut butter (drizzle that shit allll over it or carefully place a blob in the center :) and finally little dollops of jam.

• Enjoy!

  Notes : If the oats look a little dense and “dry” (because they’ve soaked all the liquid), you can add more milk when you’re eating. I actually quite like the thick texture, so I keep it as is.