Chocolate Oatmeal

By Pavani @napavani
Blogging Marathon# 35: Week 3/ Day 3
Theme: Kid's Delight -- Cooking with Whole Grains 
Dish: Breakfast -- Chocolate Oatmeal
Today's recipe is a very simple breakfast dish that can be whipped up in just few minutes. My son loves oatmeal and he loves chocolate, so I thought why not put them both together. A quick google search landed me at this recipe by Chocolate covered Katie. I make Swiss Oats by soaking oats overnight in the fridge. But in this recipe oats are almost cooked, then put in the refrigerator overnight. This overnight soak makes them creamy and gives the dish a pudding like consistency.This is a very healthy breakfast that tastes exactly like dessert.
 Ingredients: Serves 1 Rolled Oats - ½cup (use ¼cup of steel cut oats)
Soymilk - 1½cups (or any dairy or non-dairy milk)
Salt - a pinch
Maple syrup - 1~2tsp (adjust per taste. Any other sweetener like sugar, agave, honey etc. can also be used)
Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 1tbsp
Cinnamon - ½tsp
Choice of toppings - Fruit (banana, apple etc.), chocolate chips, dry fruit (cranberries, raisins etc)

Method:
  • The night before you want to have chocolate oats for breakfast, combine oats, milk and salt in a small saucepan and cook for 4~5 minutes until the mixture thickens and the oats are almost cooked.
  • Let the mixture cool down for 10~15 minutes. Then refrigerate uncovered overnight. 
  • This first step can be done in the microwave as well, just cook oats, milk and salt for 3 minutes and then for another additional 1 minute for the milk to be almost absorbed. Leave the bowl in the microwave for 5 minutes, then refrigerate overnight (uncovered!!)
  • In the morning, add a splash of milk, if oats look too dry. Add cocoa powder, sweetener, cinnamon and return to the stove (or the microwave). Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes on the stove (or 1~2 minutes in the microwave). Add the toppings and enjoy!!
  • If you prefer cold breakfast, then skip the cooking part and eat it up your choice of toppings.
Sending this over to this month's Kid's Delight event being hosted by Sandhya @ My Cooking Journey with the theme 'Cooking with the Whole Grains'.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 35.