This is the breakfast that works for me in chilly weather!  I have a fast metabolism, and prolonged hunger makes me dizzy, so it’s important for me to eat enough breakfast that I feel full until lunchtime.  This breakfast also is high in iron, which was especially important when I was anemic while pregnant and nursing.  Oatmeal is supposed to help increase milk supply for nursing mothers.  It also has lots of fiber for good digestive health.

This recipe is vegan yet rich and creamy.  It’s convenient because all the ingredients are shelf-stable, so I can make it even when we’re running low on fresh stuff.  Most of the ingredients are inexpensive in bulk at the food co-op.

UPDATE: I’ve slightly adjusted my oatmeal habits since I first posted this recipe in 2009.  I used to use flax seed oil, but after one bottle went rancid I lost my taste for it.  Then I was buying flax seeds and grinding them in the Magic Bullet, an appliance that didn’t work well enough for us–grinding flax was one of the few things it did well.  Then I got into coconut oil.  I love the flavor of coconut, it’s supposed to have health benefits and at worst is a saturated fat similar to butter, and it stays fresh for months at room temperature!  So now I always add a glob of coconut oil to my oatmeal.

I don’t measure anything.  I don’t see why anyone would want to make a recipe that involves measuring first thing in the morning, while waiting for the coffee to be done!  Just eyeball it!

Put into a bowl

• quick-cooking oats (I like this kind because they can be cooked in the bowl, instead of gooeying up a pot)
• almond butter or cashew butter or peanut butter
• raisins and/or chopped dried apricots and/or frozen berries
• sorghum syrup (huh?) or molasses
• cinnamon
• ginger
• ground flax seeds (huh?) or flax seed oil or coconut oil

Add boiling water until it’s sort of flooded.  Stir thoroughly.  Keep adding water and stirring until oatmeal reaches desired consistency.  I like it pretty thick and chewy, sort of like oatmeal cookie dough, but warm.

Mmmmmmmm!!

Also check out my recipe for Fast, Frugal, Fruit-Flavored Oatmeal.

Visit Healthy Vegan Friday for more delicious recipes without animal ingredients!