Pumpkin Spice Latte Oatmeal

Another weekend .. another dirth of fresh fruits and ... another quest for the perfect oatmeal recipe with pantry ingredients. And guess what? Another visit with The Oatmeal Artist!!! She's got some amazing ideas and she works with Old fashioned (Rolled) Oats which I'm come to prefer over Steel-cut simply because of the timing involved in cooking SC Oats. I still use the latter on occasion (and I love the texture of SC oats) but for my daily breakfast, I've reverted to the ease of Old fashioned Oats. 

This recipe was a winner on sight!! I love fall and I love all fall foods!! And pumpkin spice lattes were my own personal indulgence during those last few months of the year. But I'm also one of those weirdos that loves pumpkin spice so much - I eat it all year!! Like Lauren says in her post - those drinks from gourmet coffee shops are loaded with calories - mostly from fats and sugars. My adaptation has fats as well but they're good fats derived from nuts (almonds) & seeds (flax and chia), so its a lot more healthier and a lot more nutritious. Also, I've found (after I went plant-based) that the Pumpkin Spice mix (at least the one used by Starbucks) has dairy in it. So even if I wanted to get a Soy Pumpkin Spice Latte - it would still have dairy in it!! Obviously, when I saw Lauren's version of the same awesome PSL - in a bowl - I knew I had to try it!!

Adapted from: Pumpkin Spice Latte Oatmeal, The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients (Serves 1):

1. 1/2 cup Old-Fashioned (Rolled) Oats
2. 2/3 cup Brewed coffee (I used a Folgers Classic K-cup)
3. 1/3 cup Almond Milk (Unsweetened Vanilla) 
4. 1/4 cup Canned Pumpkin puree
5. 1/2 tbsp Flax Seed Meal
6. 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
7. 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
8. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
9. 1 tbsp Maple syrup (to taste)
10. A pinch of Sea salt
11. 8-10 Raw Almonds, crushed. 

Directions:

Mix Coffee, Oats, Pumpkin puree, almond milk, flax seed meal and chia seeds in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove bowl carefully as it will be quite hot, add pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, a pinch of sea salt, maple syrup (to taste) and mix well. Do a quick taste test for sweetness (I added 1 tsp of syrup as the original recipe called for and I needed about three times that amount to make it perfect for my tastes). Transfer to a bowl, add another splash of milk, top off with crushed almonds and enjoy your little taste of heaven!!  

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 391 (Fat Calories 141)
Total Fat 15.7 g; Carbohydrates 54.2 g; Fiber 14.1 g; Sugars 14.7 g; Protein 12.8 g