German Chocolate Cake Oatmeal

I think my husband's most favorite dessert if probably German Chocolate Cake. His mom makes an über-rich version for every holiday meal and he eats it like a fiend! My M-I-L's original recipe calls for about 7 egg yolks, a cup of evaporated milk, and about a cup of butter. It tastes pretty amazing but I can only eat about 1/10th of what Tony consumes because it is so rich. So, I've often wondered if anyone had come up with a vegan or whole-food-plant-based version of it and sure enough .. someone had :) !! I found the recipe today!! What better day to use it than New Year's Eve, and my 2-Year Plantiversary? I'd say that faint anticipatory smile on his face as he takes his first bite says it all! He's a happy camper :) 

Adapted from: The Oatmeal Artist - German Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

Prep Time: 25 min (with premade topping)

Ingredients (Serves 1, double for 2):

1. 1/2 cup Old-Fashioned (Rolled) Oats
2. 1/2 cup Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk (I used almond)
3. 1 tbsp Agave (or sweetener of choice)
4. 1 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa
5. 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
6. 1 pinch of Sea Salt
7. 1 tsp Brown Sugar 
8. 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
9. 2 tsp Coconut Pecan Butter (for topping, premade, and brought to room temperature)
10. 1 tsp Shredded Coconut (for garnish, optional)
11. 1 tbsp Crushed Pecans (for garnish, optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients (oats, cocoa, baking powder, brown sugar, salt) and in a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients (non-dairy milk, sweetener of choice, vanilla extract). Mix both well. Transfer the dry ingredients to a greased ramekin, or an oven-safe bowl. I used a quick spray of Pam on the bowl and then wiped any excess off with a kitchen towel. Slowly pour the wet ingredients over the top of the dry mixture. Use a fork to make sure that any flakes of oatmeal that are still floating get soaked well. I didn't mix at this stage because I wanted to make sure that I didn't disturb the grease around the sides of the bowl. Bake uncovered for 20-22 min. Remove from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes, then carefully invert the bowl onto a serving plate and let sit for another 4-5 min. This will allow the oatmeal to cleanly transfer to the serving plate, in the shape of the baking bowl itself. Gently top off the oats with about 2 tsp of Coconut Pecan butter (I used the original recipe, see link in ingredients above, to a tee) allowing the steam from the oatmeal to soften it. This stuff is rich .. like really really rich, so don't be greedy like me! Once it softens and starts glistening, sprinkle some coconut flakes and crushed pecans on top. Serve warm! Enjoy!

My Assessment: This oatmeal is a great way to enjoy an otherwise über-rich guilt-laden dessert. By no means is this dish low-fat (thanks to the coconut pecan butter used for the topping) but it is definitely based on whole plant-based ingredients and is far better for you than the original recipe. LOVED another recipe from The Oatmeal Artist. Tony confirmed that the topping tasted just like the omni version his mom makes and I think it would work great as a filling and topping for a vegan chocolate cake as well (i.e. to make an actual German Chocolate Cake). Score!!!!! 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving, with topping): Calories 498 (Fat Calories 252)
Total Fat 28.1 g; Carbohydrates 56.7 g; Fiber 11.3 g; Sugars 19.4 g; Protein 9.6 g

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving, w/o topping): Calories 276 (Fat Calories 56)
Total Fat 6.3 g; Carbohydrates 50.7 g; Fiber 7.8 g; Sugars 18.3 g; Protein 7.1 g

If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Salted Brownie Baked Oatmeal

So I'm on an oatmeal kick this weekend and I've found just the site to help me through it .. The Oatmeal Artist. A whole blog just dedicated to oatmeal. I tried one of her recipes yesterday (Poached Pear Oats) and so in my quest to find another great recipe I went back to her site this morning!! 

Salted Brownie Baked Oatmeal

Adapted from: Salted Brownie Baked Oatmeal, The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 40 min

Ingredients (Serves 1):

1. 1/2 cup Old-Fashioned (Rolled) Oats
2. 1/3 cup Apple Sauce
3. 1/3 cup Unsweetened Almond milk
4. 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
5. 4 tsp Cocoa Powder
6. 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
7. 1 tbsp Dark Molasses
8. 1 tbsp Pecans/Almonds/Cashews
9. One large pinch of coarse Kosher/Sea Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  I used a Pyrex 'Ramekin style' Soup dish since I wasn't sure how much this mix was going to rise. I should have just used a single serving ramekin dish as the rise was not super high, just enough to form a nicely rounded crust. I sprayed the dish with non-stick spray and then used a dry paper towel to wipe off all the excess, leaving a thin film all around the dish. Mix wet ingredients in a large bowl and then add the dry ingredients. Mix well. The original recipe did not call for any sweeteners and although I don't like my oatmeal to be super sweet, I do like some sweetness, especially in chocolate based dishes. I added an extra tbsp of molasses. And I added a tbsp of crushed pecans to add some crunch to this dish. Transfer contents of the bowl to the greased dish, sprinkle with a pinch of coarse salt. I wasn't sure if the original recipe called for covered, or uncovered baking, so I just baked it uncovered. I started with 20 min at 350 F and since it was still too runny, I baked it for another 10 min. I might have taken extra time as my dish was more deep than wide. The original recipe calls for 18-25 min. 

My Assessment: I liked it. But it felt more like I was eating dessert for breakfast. I've never been that person who eats chocolate for breakfast so I was skeptical to begin with, but tried it nevertheless. I think I will definitely have this again, but more as a dessert than as a breakfast cereal. 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 323 (Fat Calories 91)
Total Fat 10.1 g; Carbohydrates 57.4 g; Fiber 8.1 g; Sugars 19.8 g; Protein 7.4 g

Update: July 28, 2013: I baked this tonight as a combined dinner/dessert since we were both feeling lazy this Sunday evening. I made a double batch, split into 2 shallow ramekin style dishes. Once baked, I layered each one with fresh sliced strawberries for an even more appetizing look. 

Even Tony, the self-professed Oatmeal hater cleaned up his dish. Call anything a brownie ;) and he'll eat it!! The fresh strawberries (about 1/3 of a cup/dish) only add 15 additional calories but make for a very decadent dessert, that is filling enough to be a supper. 

Chocolate Raisin & Walnut Bread

Another weekend, another bread-making attempt ... I wish I could do this more often. Last week's attempt was actually quite good, with the exception of being a little too sweet. We ate about half of it on the same day and then I put the rest in the fridge. Unfortunately, when I took it out next, it was too dry and chewy to be eaten as bread. So I made my East-Indian Stuffing ... in January :) !!! It was pretty delish and half a loaf made me 4 good sized servings which I enjoyed for lunch this week. So here's today's attempt. Its in the machine now and is expected to be done in about 3 hours. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes + ~3.25 hours in a bread machine

Ingredients: (8 servings/slices)*:

1. 1 cup Water
2. 6 tbsp Apple Sauce (1 Mots Naturals Snack cup)
3. 2.5 cups All Purpose Flour
4. 0.5 cup Whole Wheat Flour (Atta)
5. 3 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
6. 1.5 tsp Sea Salt
7. 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
8. 2.5 tsp Active Dry Yeast
9. 1/4 cup Raisins
10. 1/4 cup Pecans
11. 1/4 cup Ghirardelli Non-Dairy Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the order they are listed into the baking pan of your bread machine, with the exception of the Raisins, Pecans and Chocolate chips. Most bread machines want you to put in liquid ingredients first, followed by dry ingredients and the require that the yeast be added at the very top, in a little hollow made into the dry flour. Make sure that any salt is not in contact with the active yeast. 

Start the machine using the menu selection for Basic White bread. Set the crust to medium or light. Start the cycle and when the machine beeps at the 'add ingredient' stage (just before the last 5-10 minutes of kneading), add the last 3 ingredients. Allow the baking cycle to complete, remove the bread from the pan onto a baking rack and allow to stand for 20-30 minutes before slicing/cutting into the loaf.

Chocolate Raisin & Walnut Bread

My Assessment: Adding a half a cup of whole wheat flour made it a tad denser than the 100% white bread I made last week. The recipe initially called for 2 tbsp of oil. Initially, when I substituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, I added 4 tbsp of applesauce, instead of just 2. When the dough was initially formed, it looked just a tad too tight to me so I added 2 tbsp more. That was probably a good idea. I got very good rise and some nice air pockets. The bread was light, but not fluffy. I wonder if it can even be fluffy when I've added raisins and nuts and chocolate chips. This recipe tasted a lot like the Pepperidge Farm Raisin Cinnamon Swirl. Yummy! 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 240

Total Fat 3.5 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 46.9 g; Fiber 2.4 g; Sugars 8.8 g; Protein 5.9 g

* I seem to have trouble slicing bread very thin. Especially fresh bread is even harder to slice in my opinion. The best I've ever gotten out of my bread machine is 8 slices. If you can slice thinner ... more power to you :)