Oatmeal Week

A few months ago, I introduced the idea of “theme weeks” on my blog.  The idea was that all my posts for each week would follow a certain theme.  Past theme weeks included:

 

1. Vitamix Week
2. Christmas Week
3. All Things Green Week
4. Product-Review Week

Another promised theme week was Oatmeal Week, but I never got around to writing it.  Until now. 

Seeing as I’ve already posted two Oatmeal-themed blog entries this week, I’m going to go ahead and declare this week to be Ode to Oatmeal Week.  Let the oat-loving begin! 

 

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And I can’t, in good conscience, have Oatmeal Week without giving a shout-out to my all-time favorite way to cook oatmeal—the oatmeal pudding method.  Therefore, today’s post will start off with a re-post as I reminisce about my “first time.” 

 

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*Travels back in time*

 

January, 2008:

 

One day last week, this chocolate-covered vegan woke up with a sudden urge to make rice pudding. So she rose groggily from her bed, put on her bunny slippers, and ambled down to the kitchen. Soon the counter was piled high with pudding ingredients—cinnamon, raisins, soymilk, vanilla… now where was the rice? The chocolate-covered vegan searched the shelves, pushed aside boxes, lifted bags, stomped her feet, and pulled her hair, but all to no avail (especially the last two actions).

“How can we not have rice?!” the chocolate-covered vegan asked her two dogs (who liked to hang around the kitchen in case crumbs were ever dropped). Unfortunately, the doggies could not provide an answer about the rice.

The chocolate-covered vegan sighed and was turning to leave the cabinet when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted that kindly, white-haired Quaker man in the big blue hat staring back at her.

 

 

Katie’s Oatmeal Raisin Pudding

This is so easy: Combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Then turn down to low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pudding is the desired consistency.

The recipe makes 2-4 servings, depending on how big the eater’s appetite is and whether the pudding is being consumed as a meal or a snack.

 

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*Back to the present*

March, 2009:

The above method works for more than just oatmeal-raisin pudding:  You can take any rice pudding recipe and simply substitute cooked oats for the rice.  Coconut rice pudding?  Chocolate rice pudding?  Maple rice pudding?  Pumpkin rice pudding?  Mr. Oatmeal can do all this and more! (Not that you ever doubted him.)

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Other people who have made this recipe:

Don’t you love it when others take one of your recipes and put their own twist on it, sometimes creating something even better than the original?!  That’s exactly what these lovely ladies did with my Oatmeal-Raisin Pudding recipe.  Check out their versions:

 

1. Vegan Nurse’s version
2. Ruby Red Vegan’s version
3. Broccoli Hut’s version
4. Blue Sky World’s version
5. Animal-Friendly’s version
6. Chocolate, Coffee, Kitchen’s version
7. Trying Veganism’s version
8. Sweet Eats’ version

 

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And if you use a hand blender to blend the pudding *just a tiny tiny bit* you end up with the texture of rice pudding, too!  With rice pudding’s yummy taste and oatmeal’s amazing health benefits, everybody wins! 

 

 

 

Hey, I almost went a whole post without mentioning blended grains!  Baby steps, people…