Fudge brownie oatmeal

I've mentioned in the past that I have no real desire to do a cooking blog. There are too many people out there doing way better than I could do. But posting the occasional recipe can be a fun change of pace. Especially when it's something as delicious as desert for breakfast.

I'm calling this my fudge brownie oatmeal. It's a pretty obvious recipe, so I won't pretend like it's the most original thing ever. But it tastes great and is a pretty healthy way to start off your morning.

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup rolled oats
2. 1 cup water
3. dash of salt
4. 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
5. 2 tbsp. blackstrap molasses
6. 1 (small) handful of walnuts, chopped
7. 1 1/2 tsp. Truvia OR 1 tbsp. raw sugar OR 1 tbsp. maple syrup. Adjust to taste.
8. About 1/4 cup almond milk

One of the reasons I'm not a good food/cooking blogger is that I'm very imprecise when I cook. The oats and water are the only things I actually measure. All other amounts are eyeballed. So just take those quantities as general guidelines.

Put all of the ingredients except the almond milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Mix it up as well as you can and microwave on high for 3:30 [1].

After cooking, stir it some more. Different oats will absorb different amounts of water, but this usually turns out pretty thick for me. If it seems a little watery, let it sit for a minute to thicken. Then add just enough almond milk to give it a nice smooth texture.

This decadent bowl of yumminess has lots of good things going for it.

The oats provide about 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. There's a healthy dose of calcium and iron, thanks to the molasses. The walnuts give you Omega 3 fatty acids, along with a number of other antioxidants and vitamins. The cocoa powder gives you another dose of antioxidants.

This recipe is vegan and, if you use the right kind of oats, gluten-free. With a stevia-based sweetener, the total calorie count comes in around 400 kcal. Oats and walnuts are best bought in bulk at your local health food store. I think we pay about $1 and $10 per pound, respectively, at Sunflower.

[1] Cook for 3:30 if your microwave has a quick-start feature that makes it easy. Otherwise, you'll save valuable effort by cooking for 3:33. It's easier to push the same button 3 times than to have to search all over the touch pad for that zero. I think I learned this trick from my old friend Kai, but it's been many years ago, and my memory is imperfect.