Happy February 1st!
I don’t know about you, but I celebrated the end of January this morning. We are one month closer to Spring and for me it is all about the little things in the deep of Winter. Today, we are bracing for a big snowstorm traveling up from the US tonight into Wednesday. If it is anything like I saw on the news, it is going to be a big one! Last night, Eric said we should hit up the grocery store and ‘stock up’ and I had to laugh because we probably have enough food in this house to survive until retirement.
But this post isn’t about Old Man Winter, it is about breakfast!
If you are new to the blog, you might not know about my obsession with Vegan Overnight Oats and Vegan Overnight Oat Parfaits, but a quick glance at my breakfast category on my Recipes page will explain things a bit better. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though.
Vegan Overnight Oats are mixed before you go to bed at night and you do not cook it, so there is literally zero preparation in the morning. You stick the spoon in and you enjoy the doughy goodness.
It is also perfect for those mornings when turning on the stovetop might pose a risk to yourself or others. My melted spatulas thank me.
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Carob Banana Chia Vegan Overnight Oats
For the rest of my Vegan Overnight Oat recipes, see here.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Almond milk (or your choice)
- 1/3 cup regular oats
- 1 tbsp carob powder (I buy it at bulk Barn)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- Tiny pinch of kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp walnuts, chopped (optional, or use other nuts)
- 1 ripe banana, chopped
- Maple syrup to drizzle, to taste (optional)
Directions: Mix the dry ingredients (oats, carob powder, chia seeds, optional walnuts, salt) in a medium sized bowl with a whisk. Now pour in the milk and pure vanilla extract, Whisk well until all clumps are gone. Finally, Stir in the chopped ripe banana. Place in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. You can cover it, or leave it under covered. When ready, give it a good stir and enjoy. Drizzle a bit of maple syrup on top if you wish! You can get creative with different mix-ins too.
Nutritional info (Serves 1, not including walnuts): approx. ~450 kcals, 14 grams fat (includes 6.3 g Omega-3 & 1.9 g Omega-6), 20 grams fibre, and 16 grams protein.
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I have been receiving a lot of vegan overnight oat questions, so I thought I would do a quick VOO FAQ.
1. Can I substitute flax seed for chia seeds?
I have heard that you can substitute ground flax for the chia seeds in Vegan Overnight Oats. Once I tried using whole flax seeds and it did not work out great, so I never recommend using whole flax seeds. Because ground flax doesn’t absorb as much liquid as chia seeds, you may have to reduce the amount of milk you use (maybe 1/4 cup). If at all possible, use the chia seeds though because they really work lovely in this recipe.
2. Can I substitute cocoa powder for carob powder?
Carob powder is much sweeter tasting than cocoa powder, so I would not recommend substituting it 1:1. If you do not have carob powder, you could probably use 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder if you wanted to, but the recipe will work without either!
3. Can I use instant oats instead of regular oats?
I have not tried using instant oats before, but maybe a reader has tried this and can comment on this in the comments section? My guess would be that the instant oats do not absorb as much liquid as the regular oats. I also really enjoy the chewiness of the regular oats.
4. I don’t have almond milk, can I use rice, soy, cow’s, hemp, oat, etc. instead?
You can substitute any kind of milk you desire!
5. Is the banana necessary?
The banana (in this recipe) is what gives the VOO some sweetness. If you do not want to use a banana, I would suggest adding 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup to stir in or maybe try using dates. I have also successfully used Vega Choc-o-lot protein powder and it worked great to sweeten it up.
6. Do I cook the Vegan Overnight Oats or heat them in the microwave before eating?
Nope! There is absolutely no cooking involved in this recipe.
Step 1: Place your oats, chia seeds, walnuts, carob powder, and salt into a bowl and whisk.
Step 2: Pour in 1 cup of Almond Milk (or your choice of milk) and the 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.
Whisk well until all the clumps are gone.
Step 3: Add in the chopped bananas.
Whisk and smash some of the bananas into the mixture. This will help incorporate the sweetness throughout.
Step 4: Place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight. During this time, the chia seeds and oats will soak up the liquid and thicken up.
After 1 hour in the fridge, it looks like this…
Thick, doughy, chewy, and strangely addicting.
I used to think overnight oats looked so gross (and I guess they still do a bit!), but this is one of my favourite breakfasts now. It really grows on ya, I promise!
Soooo…the Super Bowl is coming up this Sunday and we are having a couple parties this weekend. This means that I have some food prep to do this week!
My questions to you today are 1) What food should I make for the Super Bowl?, 2) Will you be watching the Super Bowl or making anything fun? Appetizers, finger foods, dips, main entrees, pizza, desserts, drinks? So much to choose from…!
Make vegan nachos and such dip. Yum!!
Haha, I meant spinach dip
It’s all about the finger foods, chips, and dips! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Thanks again for the Chia Vegan Overnight Oats!!!
Superbowl Dish: Chopped Avacado Salsa
– 2-3 Avacados
– 1 can black beans
– 1 can corn
– 1 red onion
– 1-2 cups of chopped cherry tomatoe’s
– 1 juice of lime
– Handful of cilantro
– Salt & Pepper
– Crushed Red Pepper & EVOO (if desired)
Chop everything and enjoy with chips, or as topping on veggie burgers or tacos!
love overnight oats, esp in the summer… when i’m on the go i just stick them in a mason jar the night before and take it with me in the morning! for now i’ve been on a kick of plain oats (cooked) with a touch of salt and chia seeds, warm and comforting :)
Yum! Your VOO look so good. I’ve seen a lot of overnight oats recipes but this may be the one that tips me over to try them. Thanks for sharing!
As far as Super Bowl food goes, my favorites were always chili and chips and dips : )
I use instant oats all the time for overnight oats and it turns out just fine! This recipe looks amazing. Am definitely making it for my breakfast tomorrow :D
Yum! I was sold at walnuts. I have been seeing them all over the blogosphere lately which is giving me mad walnut cravings!
We did the same thing last weekend when the big storm hit Calgary. Ran to the grocery store Thursday night to avoid having to leave the house. But, really… we have enough food here to feed an army. After Christmas dinner at our house, my 13 year old cousin turned to me and said “If there’s ever a famine… I’m coming to your house” and then she passed out on the living room floor. Case and point, haha.
What to make for super bowl… how about bacon wrapped figs? You can use vegan bacon, of course! Yves makes a good one – http://www.yvesveggie.ca/index.php/products/product/veggie_bacon_strips/ or Morning Star, but we don’t have that in Alberta, not sure if you have it over in Ontario…
Veggie Bacon Wrapped Figs
* 15 strips of veggie bacon
* 1 package dried figs (should contain 15-18 figs)
* 15 pistachio nuts, unsalted
* 15 basil leaves
* 15 spinach leaves
* 1 tsp salt
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Cut a slit in each fig and open the two sides up like a book. Place nut inside the slit and add a dash of salt (I used Himalayan rock salt to add to the mineral content of the dish)
3. Place basil leaf, spinach, and fig on bacon and roll until the seam of the bacon is at the bottom of the roll
4. Place seam side down in a casserole dish [you can use a toothpick to secure]
6. Bake for 10 minutes
Or, you could try pesto veggie discs. These things are unreal!!
Pesto Veggie Discs
* 1/2 cup walnuts, soaked 2 hours and drained
* 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours and drained
* 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
* 1 handful fresh spinach leaves
* 4 cloves garlic, pressed
* 1 fresh red pepper, seeded and minced
* 3 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon himalayan rock salt
* 3 roma tomatoes
* 2 medium zucchini
* dash of hot sauce (optional, my bf really likes it)
* Additional chopped tomatoes, shredded fresh basil and/or raw pine nuts, to garnish
1) Place walnuts, sundried tomatoes, basil leaves, spinach, garlic, pepper, and olive oil. You may also add a little water if pesto is still too thick. Put pesto in a bowl and stir in salt. It’s best if you leave the pesto overnight to allow the flavors to combine, but it’s not required.
2) Slice roma tomatoes and zucchini into 1/4″ discs. Spread pesto onto vegetable discs and garnish with chopped tomatoes, shredded basil, and pine nuts.
These are always a huge hit at our house. Have fun!
Amazing, as usual. Carob is king.
I eat overnight oats every morning, although I use greek yogurt instead of milk. I like how much thicker it is.
For superbowl I’m making a 7-layer bean dip and I’m going to try dessert hummus for the first time. It sounds odd enough to be good!
Wow! This looks great. I will have to get some carob powder and chia seeds for this.
For Superbowl, you should make mini potato skins! I made them for a party and they were a huge hit. I used small potatoes, like really small baby red potatoes or fingerling potatoes work awesome in this dish, so people can pick up just one and pop it in their mouth. When you use a larger potato it gets more messy and it is no longer finger food – you need a fork and knife! I just precooked the potatoes a little, then added vegan cheese, bac’n bits, dollop of sour cream, and chives/scallion, and they come out incredible.
I haven’t made these in WAY too long AND I just bought carob powder for the first time. :) Yummm
I too have a love affair with overnight oats. I like em for any meal of the day! I’m so making this for dinner tonight!
That does look good, but I’m not sure I could resist the urge to warm it up.
Oh, and great Q&A. I had no idea carob powder was sweeter than cocoa powder. Good to know!
Hmm, I’d love to have you make a vegan artichoke dip since I loath cream cheese and sour cream!
My vote would be for a Healthy recipe of the 7 layer Dip.
As a New England Patriots fan, I’m still smarting from the loss to the evil Jets – but I’ll be watching and cheering for Aaron Rogers and the Packers just the same! I think he has shown nothing but class these past few years with all the Favre hype, and he deserves to finally shut the media up. (Well, and anything to keep Big Ben and the Terrible Towel from another ring! ;) )
I think we’re watching at my “in-law’s” (we’re not married, thus the finger quotation marks!). and I have a feeling our viewing is going to include a lot of non-nutritious foods and beer, so I’m going to try to keep things on the healthier side – vegetarian chili with a side of ground beef or turkey crumbles so people can add their own, a crudite platter with tzatziki and hummus, and mini margharita crostini :) I’m not a vegetarian or vegan, but with all the wings and sausage bound to be around, someone has to supply the veggies!
Love the idea of meat on the side!
I am so hungry after reading everyone’s super bowl ideas!
I’ve been making the pumpkin VOO’s. I still end up heating it up in the microwave for a couple of minutes in the morning because it has been so cold here. They are sooo yummy!
That looks SO good!!!! I love carob! Overnight oats make for such easy mornings :)