Two bowls of coconut oatmeal with white chocolate chips and strawberries macerated in maple syrup.
So, what’s for breakfast today? Oatmeal!
Oatmeal again!? Jeez, what’s with all the oatmeal? A lot of people enjoy having toast and eggs and stuff like that, you know. Well, I like oatmeal.
Okay, fine. So what type of oatmeal did you make? Coconut oatmeal – made using coconut milk, coconut extract and shredded coconut – with a bunch of toppings. Specifically, it’s topped with white chocolate chips, macerated strawberries and more coconut.
Macerated strawberries? That sounds like you’ve murdered them. Nah, it’s just a fancy term for ‘strawberries soaked in sugar’. But my version uses maple syrup instead of the white stuff. The strawberries soften slightly and become even more juicy after sitting in the syrup.
Sometimes I’m tempted to just drink a glass of maple syrup. Alright then. I’ll admit to having drunk a spoonful of it, but a whole glass might be a bit much.
Yeah, you’re probably right. So what type of coconut milk do you use in the oatmeal – canned or the one in the carton? The one in the carton, which is also called ‘coconut milk beverage’. Given that milk is already a beverage, it seems a little redundant to add ‘beverage’ on the end.
It’s a pleonasm. What?
Pleonasm: using more words than necessary to express yourself. Like when people say ‘that’s a true fact’. Well, apparently we have ‘alternative facts’ these days.
Ugh, don’t remind me. Anyway, if you don’t have coconut milk (from the carton) on hand, you could use almond milk. But the coconut milk version is creamier and has more flavor.
And if I don’t have coconut extract? Just leave it out. But make sure you add plenty of shredded coconut.
And if I don’t have shredded coconut? Then you, my friend, will need to make a trip to the store. Unless you have desiccated coconut or toasted coconut on hand – both of those will work.
What’s with the white chocolate chips? I love chocolate, that’s what. And white chocolate tastes really good with coconut and strawberries. If you’re one of those people who hates white chocolate, then try using milk or dark chocolate instead. Or replace the chocolate with dried cranberries if you think breakfast-time is too early for chocolate.
It’s never too early for chocolate. Ok, last question: what type of oats did you use? There are so many types of oats these days… There sure are! I used quick-cooking steel-cut oats, specifically the oats that Coach’s Oats were kind enough to send to me (I wrote a review of Coach’s Oats a while ago, if you’re interested). If you don’t have any quick-cooking steel-cut oats, you could use regular steel-cut oats – just remember they take 20 – 30 minutes to cook. Otherwise, use 1 cup of rolled oats.
Is there any way to add more ‘bulk’ to the oatmeal, so you end up with a bigger bowl? What, I thought we were done with the questions?
Sorry. But this really is the last one. Okey-dokey. You could add a mashed banana, although that would obviously add a lot of banana flavor. Otherwise, try adding grated zucchini or egg whites. I tried adding cottage cheese to this, but that was… weird.
- Macerated Strawberries
- 8 - 10 strawberries, sliced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Oatmeal- 1 cup coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup quick-cooking steel-cut oats
- Pinch of salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
- 2 - 4 tablespoons shredded coconut
Toppings- Shredded coconut
- White chocolate chips
- Prepare the macerated strawberries by gently mixing together the sliced strawberries and maple syrup in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, bring the coconut milk and water to a boil, and then turn down the heat to medium. Add the quick-cooking steel-cut oats and salt, and stir well.
- Cook the oatmeal for 5 – 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the oats have absorbed the liquid and become creamy.
- Add the vanilla and coconut extracts, and sweeten with maple syrup. Stir in the shredded coconut.
- Divide the oatmeal between two bowls. Top each bowl with shredded coconut, white chocolate chips and plenty of macerated strawberries.
Use the coconut milk from the carton, not the can.
Oats
The quick-cooking steel-cut oats can be replaced with either:
(a) ½ cup regular steel-cut oats (which take 20-30 minutes to cook); or
(b) 1 cup rolled oats.
If using either of these oats, increase the water to 1 cup.
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