One bowl of peach and coconut oatmeal, topped with coconut and chocolate chips. Easy and vegan too.
Sometimes we all have dopey, awkward moments. Case in point: actual court cases. Recently, I witnessed quite an awkward situation.
It was mid-afternoon, and – as often happens in law – the parties were quibbling over semantics. What does immediate mean? What is a ‘reasonable period’? Are weekends included in that period? While these issues were important to the case, the courtroom was hardly captivated by the discussion. First, the lawyers started yawning, then the court reporter, then the judge… it was a bit like a Mexican wave of yawning.
Then this happened:
Lawyer: [says something that I can’t repeat].
Judge: Hold on. Mr [Lawyer’s name], what you just said is subject to a suppression order.*
*Meaning that it can’t be made public – i.e. blurting it out in open court wasn’t exactly wise.
Lawyer: Oh.
Judge: Yes, oh. So, what do we do now?
Lawyer: Well, can’t you just tell the court reporter to remove what I said?
Judge: Yes. Now how do I do that without repeating what you said?
On the plus side, everyone was paying attention after that. And that awkward moment was nothing in comparison to the many amusing court transcripts which you can find all over the internet.
Anyway, all of that has absolutely nothing to do with this oatmeal. So, let’s talk oatmeal!
This is quite a simple oatmeal (even by oatmeal standards), but one I love to make whenever I have peaches on hand. It’s flavored with cinnamon, blackstrap molasses, a chopped peach and some shredded coconut. The blackstrap molasses add a bit of a brown sugar taste to the oats. If you don’t have any blackstrap molasses, here are a few potential substitutes:
- A spoonful of brown sugar
- A chopped date, or a few raisins
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract
Then we have the toppings: more shredded coconut and chocolate chips. Chocolate and peaches may seem like an odd combination, but trust me on this one, it works. If you’d like to add some more crunchiness, sprinkle over some chopped pecans or walnuts.
If you don’t currently have access to peaches, sliced banana would be a good substitute. I even like this oatmeal with a chopped green apple instead, but the apple-chocolate combination might not be for everyone.
Last of all, a note about oats. This oatmeal recipe calls for ½ cup of rolled oats, ½ cup of coconut milk (from the carton, not the can), and ½ cup of water. If you’d prefer to use quick-cooking steel-cut oats, then I recommend the following ratios: ¼ cup quick-cooking steel-cut oats, ½ cup of coconut milk, and ¼ cup of water.
Fun Fact: Peaches are part of the rose family. So are apricots, plums and almonds.
- Oatmeal
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup rolled oats
- Pinch of salt
- 1 peach, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon blackstrap molasses
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
Toppings- Shredded coconut
- Chocolate chips
- Peach slices
- In a saucepan, bring the coconut milk and water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium. Add the rolled oats and salt, and stir well.
- Stir in the chopped peach, cinnamon and blackstrap molasses.
- Cook the oatmeal for about 4 – 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the oats have absorbed the liquid and become creamy.
- Add the vanilla extract and stir in the shredded coconut.
- Transfer the oatmeal to a bowl. Top with additional shredded coconut, plenty of chocolate chips and some peach slices.
Use the coconut milk from the carton, not the can.
Vegan
To make this recipe vegan, use dairy-free chocolate chips. Dark chocolate chips are often (but not always) vegan.
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