After the endless pasta, pizza, and gelato from Europe, I never thought I’d say this, but I needed a break from white flour and white sugar. I’m an all or nothing kind of gal, so for my first breakfast I made back in the States I knew it had to be vegan.
During my trip I didn’t go to a grocery store once, crazy I know, so when I got home I sped to Whole Foods as fast as I could. As soon as I walked in the glorious paradise some call a grocery store, I was greeted by a display of crimson rhubarb. I took this as a sign from the Gods, and grabbed a bunch for a compote.
Oatmeal seemed like an addition that was healthy yet hearty enough to not send my body into shock after so many carbs. Dramatic?? Who me?! So, I took some inspiration from one of my fav bloggers, Ashley, from Not Without Salt.
She makes insanely good toasted oats with coconut, so I took a cue from her recipe and made it my own. Shall we?
First, a look at what we’ll be making. Creamy oats with a tangy compote, all drizzled with cool coconut cream! Ah ok, start out by chopping up your rhubarb into little pieces.
In a pan over medium high heat, combine rhubarb and a glug of maple syrup.
Pop on the lid, and let bubble away until rhubarb is super tender and the sauce is reduced.
Note: my rhubarb wasn’t as red as I liked, so I threw in a few dark cherries just for color!
Now on to the oats! In a pan over medium-high heat, toast your oats until golden and nutty smelling (ha! so mature, I know).
Add in your coconut flakes and toast for another minute.
Add in a little maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt, and stir until the oats are coated.
Now, here’s the part that makes these oats different than the rest! You’re going to slowly drizzle in coconut milk as you stir the oats.
You want to add a little more milk just when the oats have soaked up the last bit you put in, that way the oats will be super creamy. This is how you make risotto as well!
Once the oats have absorbed all the liquid, spoon them into a bowl.
Top with your gorgeous compote (I got really into the swirl idea) and crack open a can of full fat coconut milk.
Drizzle that on top, sprinkle with a little more coconut, and dig it!
This breakfast is incredibly decadent, yet is completely vegan, full of fiber, has tons of fruit, and healthy fats! If this seems like too much to do on a busy morning, just make a big batch of the oats when you have a minute, and keep ’em in the fridge for the rest of the week!
They heat up beautifully, and are a perfect way to start the day. Also, I encourage you to try the compote on other dishes like pancakes, ice cream, even on grilled meat with a little rosemary mixed in!
Note: there are three kinds of coconut milk at the grocery store:
- The kind in a box that is unsweetened, I used the brand So Delicious for making the oats
- The lite kind in a can, I did not use this in the recipe, although you could make the oats with it or drizzle it on top of the finished oatmeal
- The full fat version in a can, which I used to drizzle over the oats since it’s texture is identical to cream
Rhubarb Compote (makes about a cup)
- 5 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, a little more than 2 cups for me
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 T lemon juice
- In a pan over medium heat, combine rhubarb, lemon juice, and syrup.
- Cover and let cook for about 7-10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is falling apart.
- If it looks too watery, take of the lid and let bubble away for a minute or two to get rid of a little moisture.
Toasted Coconut Oatmeal (serves 4) recipe adapted from Not Without Salt
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/3 cup coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 t vanilla
- 1 t salt
- 2 1/2 cups coconut milk (I used the kind from the box that has 45 calories per cup, the canned kind is much higher in fat and calories)
- Full fat coconut milk, to serve (this kind from a can, since it mimicks the texture of cream)
- In a pan over medium-high heat, toast oats until they become golden in color and smell nutty.
- Add in coconut flakes and toast for a minute more.
- Pour in maple syrup, salt, and vanilla, and stir until oats are coated in syrup.
- While stirring the oats, slowly pour in a little coconut milk. Add more milk when the oats absorb the milk. After the first cup, you can just pour the rest in.
- Let the oats cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, and serve!