Overnight Oats and Vegan Corn Chowder

Some people eat the same thing for breakfast every day. Nate has cereal for breakfast almost every single morning, the exception being on weekends when he'll occasionally cook up something he refers to as "egg blasters" (never eat the egg blasters. Trust me on this one). I go through phases with breakfast. I'll find something (like avocado toast) that I eat for a week, then Iget bored and usually end up having dinner leftovers for the next few days.

Recently, I was craving something a little more traditional in the mornings, and I think it's going to become my newest breakfast fad.

I'm talkin' about vegan OVERNIGHT OATS, people!

My favorite part of these vegan overnight oats is that they are SUPER EASY to make and fully customizable. I made mine using dairy-free coconut milk, but any soy or nutmilk would be delicious too. I added a diced, microwave-steamed apple, a dollop of almond butter, a dash of cinnamon, and a sprinkling of sesame and chia seeds to mine for an extra-hearty vegan breakfast.

Vegan Overnight Oats

Mix 1 part oats (not rolled or instant oats - old-fashioned or steel cut work best), a pinch of salt, 2 parts liquid, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, you can either eat it cold (which I did), or microwave it. Then add your chosen mix-ins, and you have a delicious and nutritious vegan breakfast!

Vegan Corn Chowder

Last week I also made what Nate called my "best vegan meal so far" - a humble corn chowder! It was darned good but sadly we ate it all before I could take a good picture. It was inspired by the fact that we had two really sad looking cobs of corn in the fridge that I was desperate to use up, and that it was slightly chilly last week (though it's supposed to be in the 80s again this weekend).

My mom, who is the queen of soups, makes an amaaaaazing corn chowder, creamy and sweet with a salty crunchy bacon garnish. This vegan corn chowder is good enough to sate the craving when it comes, though if I'm being honest it doesn't hold a candle to Mom's version! (For a closer approximation you could use McCormick's Bac'n Bits as a garnish...they are, strangely enough, vegan!)

Ingredients:

2 stalks celery chopped
1/2 onion, diced
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cans of corn, strained and liquid reserved
3 medium waxy potatoes, diced
3 cups veggie broth
1 can coconut milk
2 cobs corn, corn cut from cobs (say that 10 times fast!)
1 bunch spinach
salt and pepper and hot sauce to taste
parsley to garnish

1. In a large pot, saute celery and onion in olive oil until onion is slightly translucent. Add garlic and saute about 30 second, until fragrant.
2. Add corn liquid, vegetable broth, and potatoes. Bring mixture to a boil. Taste and season broth.
3. Cook until potatoes are almost tender.
4. Add corn from the cob and coconut milk and lower heat to a gentle simmer. Taste and season broth.
5. Add canned corn and spinach. Cover pot and cook until spinach wilts and is tender.
6. Garnish with parsley and hot sauce.


Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned this week for more Fun Food Links and a recipe for crock-pot lentil stew!