July 04, 2015

Vegan Overnight Oats


Okay- this is a totally 4th of July inspired post. 

It has nothing- and I mean ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the fact I was watching Captain America. 

Nothing WHATSOEVER!

This is totally 4th of July inspired. 

Happy 4th of July to those who are celebrating by the way! 

Okay- so this is very regularly my breakfast. Even more so now I just bought a 16oz jar of Chia Seeds. Cause that's totally something 'normal' people do. 

They're called overnight oats. I have the vegan version- cause.... I just do. 

Essentially- it's a mixture of oats, milk (I usually use almond, sometimes I have oat or coconut) and chia seeds. You combine the ingredients, cover, and leave overnight in the fridge. You wake up in the morning (although if you decide to have a midnight snack I'm sure they would be good then too) and you have a really yummy breakfast.

Chia seeds are one of the wonder foods going around at the minute- but I can't tell you exactly what their wonders are because everyone disagrees slightly. But they all agree that they pack a BIG nutritional punch- and some say that they are one of the only sources of all the amino acids in one go. Basically- they are a little seed- usually black but can also be white (and there is no difference between the colors apart from aesthetics) that can do wonderful things. They absorb liquid- like a lot of liquid. Different people claim different things- anywhere between 8 and 20 times their weight in liquid- but however much it is (and I'm sorry that the Internet failed me this time) ... it's still impressive. And as they absorb liquid like that, they are very good at turning a mixture of oats and milk into a yummy breakfast. If you want to know more about chia seeds- just Google it. There is loads and loads of stuff about them on the Internet. Chia seeds are pretty expensive- however you only use a little bit at a time, so it's not that bad per breakfast- and if you shop around you can usually find some at an okay price (surprisingly, try Waitrose or the Internet).

Okay.... you are going to have to use you're imaginations here guys- cause there is only one way I can think of to describe overnight oats, and to be honest- it sounds like something that's come from a Dicken's novel. So... use you're imagination cause it's actually really good....

Possibly the best way to describe is to say it's like cold porridge. 

There you go- I told you it sound's like it came straight out of a Dicken's novel. You thinking of Oliver Twist right now? Please don't. It's not that bad. To be honest- it's more like a cross between cold porridge and muesli. Does that make it any better? Maybe you could think of it like Bircher Muesli without the apple. There- that better? 

Okay- possibly not. But the best thing about overnight oats? The add ins and the toppings. Cause you can go crazy. Like, real real crazy. We're talking about uber amazingly absolutely crazy. Which trust me, is really fun. I bet anyone they could have overnight oats every day for the rest of their life- and never have a repeat combination. I mean - you can seriously- do anything!!!!!

Except today I went with the really plain (okay slightly boring) overnight oats so that you could see how simple they are at their best.

Cause really - they are simple. I mean- real simple. Add oats and chia seeds- shake- add milk- leave overnight in the fridge- eat. We're talking that simple.

No time in the morning to make breakfast? This is the answer- all you need to do is take the lid of your container.

Too hot to want to turn on the stove top? No cooking required.

Just looking for a really yummy breakfast that is really customisable? Overnight oats are the answer.

Okay- so bear in mind that this is overnight oats at their very bare bones- and because of that mine are a bit runny (they'd be thicker if I had lots of add in's like I normally do) so they do NORMALLY look thicker.

And this recipe is a guide- it's how I like my overnight oats- but you may wanna play around with it till you find what's best for you. Want less- scale it down (try 1/4 cup of oats and 2/3 cup milk). Want more- scale it up (try 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup of milk and then add a splash for luck). Too runny/too thick- adjust the milk- add more/less by a couple of Tablespoons.

Also- yeah- I didn't leave it plain cause I had a load of fresh berries in my fridge..... and I like berries.

Vegan Overnight Oats

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup oats
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds
  • Add in's (literally whatever you want)

Method


  • Combine oats and chia seeds in a lidded container.

  • I find the easiest way to combine them is to put the lid on and give them a really good shake - and trust me- you want to combine them cause otherwise you get these strings of chia seeds and they can freak you out a bit if you're not used to chia seeds. 
  • Add the milk- and give it a good shake again (you're gonna have to take the lid OFF to add the milk and then put it ON again to shake)
  •  
  • If you're using add ins (and you should- cause there are a lot of yummy things in this world to add in) - add any dry ones in AFTER you have shaken the oats and chia seeds together but BEFORE you add the milk. Add any wet ones (including things like fresh fruit) in AFTER you add the milk but BEFORE you shake it again. 
  • Place in the fridge overnight- or at the very least a few hours. 
  • When you're ready to eat it take it out of the fridge- if it's too thick you can stir in a bit more milk- it it's too thin it's harder to solve- but you can add more chia seeds and wait 10 minutes for it to thicken up a bit. 
  • If you want to add any topping- feel free- nothing's stopping you!
  • Enjoy (and if you don't- try it again. You'll love it once you get the fact that it's cold porridge out of your head!) 




Nothing, what so ever, to do with Captain America guys!!!!