Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Surprise!
Ohhhh, it’s finally starting to feel like fall around here, & I’ve been craving oatmeal. It is a very “healing & grounding” dish for me & I need a lot of that these days. I just returned from a yoga retreat at the Zen Mountain Center where the monks prepared 3 beautiful meals for us each day. Breakfast was always oatmeal or amaranth, fruit, & yogurt. At the end of the spread was a large bowl of peanut butter & you know I smothered my bowl with it! Since returning home I’ve been making a simple version with cooked apples & blueberries, & a swirl of raw almond butter, but it was time to get inspired & change it up.
It’s a pumpkin palooza everywhere I look – from blogs, to the markets, & door steps in my neighborhood – & I don’t mind playing along!I had some leftover pumpkin puree & decided to add it to my morning oatmeal along with seasonal spices, walnuts, chopped apples & a dried berry blend. But it needed just a little more of something special…
A few months ago, the kind folks at Soom Foods reached out & asked if I would like to try their chocolate sesame butter. Would I ever! They sent me a generous jar that I secretly stashed away, waiting for the right moment to open it. Over the summer I’d planned to make a chocolate banana soft serve, but that didn’t happen. I suppose it still could! To be honest, I’ve been afraid to open it because I knew it would be amazing & I would find every excuse to dip a spoon in the jar & eat the whole thing in a matter of days. So I’ve been saving it. But as I was about to dive in to my breakfast I realized it was missing something! So I opened the jar put a healthy dollop right on top!
Oh my heavens. This rich & chocolatey addition to my pumpkin spice oatmeal was out of this world. I am in trouble now, but at least I am not eating it straight off the spoon. YET. Of course, the nut butter is optional, but highly encouraged, especially if you can get your hands on the chocolate stuff! On it’s own the oatmeal is rich & creamy, with a hint of pumpkin & warming spices. Oh, fall, I am so ready for you…
Get the full recipe at Vegenista’s Kitchen. Enjoy!
Ooooh, & the choco-sesame butter is amazing on crisp fall apples! I may or may not be trying to develop a Chocolate Tahini Cookie recipe too! Stay tuned!
