CREAMY VANILLA OATS with almond butter and blueberries

Oats are a daily visitor to our house, no matter the season. To be honest, basically my whole food regimen outside of photography/recipe creation times consists of oats, smoothies and avo toasts. So basic, I know. 

This oat porridge however, is far from basic. The creamy almond butter, fresh bluebs and swirls of dark chocolate make it so divine that you wish you had more in your bowl even though you are completely full. 

Ingredients

100g quick-cooking oats

500 ml almond milk

2 tbsp chia seeds

2-3 tbsp sweetener (I use maple), more if needed

1 tsp vanilla essence 

pinch of salt

2 tbsp almond butter

handful of fresh blueberries

1 tbsp almond, roughly chopped

2 slabs of dark chocolate, finely chopped

Method

Place the oats and almond milk in a pot over medium heat and add the salt, vanilla and sweetener. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, then stir in the chia seeds and remove from heat. Keep the lid on for another 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and top with almond butter, blueberries, chopped almonds and dark chocolate. 

CINNAMON, MAPLE & BLUEBERRY ROLLS

 

This recipe is for all the people who say they find it hard to think up tasty vegan desserts. These sweet cinnamon, maple and blueberry rolls are ideal for a quick, easy breakfast, or just for a small bite on–the–go. And because they’re 100% vegan, they don’t leave you feeling as heavy as their dairy-based counterparts. And nothing really beats the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls when these babies are cooking in the oven. MMMMMmmmm.

Ingredients

150ml almond milk, lukewarm

1 tsp white/light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp powdered vanilla

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

5 g instant dry yeast (2 tsp)

15 ml coconut oil, + more for brushing

175 g unbleached all-purpose wheat flour, more for dusting

3 heaped tbsps of brown sugar

3 tbsp of maple syrup

2 tsp ground cinnamon

70 g blueberries

150 ml icing sugar

1-3 tbsp almond milk

Method

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the almond milk, sugar, salt, vanilla powder, ground cardamom, coconut oil and yeast. Mix with a wooden spoon. Add the flour bit by bit until the dough comes together, then turn out on a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and springs back. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with cling wrap and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

In another bowl, mix together the brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface and roll into a rectangle, approximately 30 cm on each size. Brush the dough with coconut oil, then spread the sugar-maple-cinnamon mixture all over. Dot the dough with blueberries, roll up tightly and the cut into equal-sized rolls, about 5 cm thick. Place the rolls in an oiled baking dish and bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then coat with a mixture of almond milk and icing sugar. Serve warm. Enjoy!