Recipes

Dalia D. Dalia D.

Banana Nut Steel-Cut Oats

These protein powder-free high-protein oats are refined sugar-free, delicious, and comforting. Topped with caramelized banana and your choice of nuts or seeds…

A brown bowl filled with steel-cut oats, peanut butter, honey, caramelized banana, chia seeds, hemp hearts, and chopped almonds

To conclude the 6 Weeks of Oats event, I thought I’d share what I thought of as being the ultimate form of the classic bowl of oatmeal. I wanted to bring out all the best features of a bowl of oatmeal. The creaminess, the coziness, and the comfort. Truthfully, what makes oats so plain and boring most of the time is the lack of time and care that’s put into them.

A stainless steel saucepan filled with steel cut oats next to a bunch of yellow bananas on a wooden chopping board

While I know that 15 minutes of cook-time for a bowl of oatmeal is asking a lot from those of you who have gotten used to the ease of quick oats, steel-cut oats are more than worth it. What’s even better, the 15 minutes start almost as soon as you choose to make these. Throw the oats on the stove and use the rest of the time to make your coffee and prep whatever toppings you’d like to go on top of your bowl of oatmeal.

A white bowl containing mashed banana mixed with vanilla essence, salt, and peanut butter on top of a wooden chopping board

For the ultimate oatmeal recipe I had to figure out a few components: nutritional value, ease, flavor, and texture. The usual bowl of oatmeal generally consists of oats, milk or water, some fruit, and maple syrup or honey. The most common choice of oats being rolled oats, because of its lower cook-time and versatile nature. As for the fruit, people seem to generally like to top their oats with bananas, berries, or both. It’s classic, it’s good, nothing wrong with it. High fiber breakfast with lots of micronutrients from the fruit. It could be better, though. I wanted to add protein and fats to this classic and use steel-cut oats, which is better for your blood sugar.

a brown bowl of creamy oats next to a smaller blue bowl containing chopped almonds on top of a wooden chopping board, a yellow ripe banana and a handful of scattered almonds in the background

I don’t love protein powders, they’re usually very heavily sweetened and flavored and I don’t like the restriction that comes with that. So, normally, I use collagen powder as my choice of protein powder. Not for this recipe, though. Eggs are accessible, affordable, and very high in protein. Plus, you can’t taste them at all in this recipe! We’re only using egg whites in this recipe, but you can save your yolks for some fried rice, Crème Brûlée, hollandaise sauce, and you can even try out the viral salt-cured egg yolks everyone’s grating on top of their pastas.

Bowl of porridge with a caramelized banana and peanut butter

So, with the egg whites, this recipe becomes a lot more satiating and balanced. The egg whites also add to the creaminess of the oats, but they don’t do much in terms of flavor. The breakfast combo that stood out to me the most from my childhood, whether it was on top of my cereal, my pancakes, or my bread, was always bananas, nuts, and honey or maple syrup (honey for most things, maple syrup for pancakes). Nuts also have the added benefit of providing healthy fats in this recipe.

Creamy Banana-Nut Protein Oats

Creamy Banana-Nut Protein Oats

( 0 reviews )
Yield: 2
Author:
Prep time: 2 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 17 Min
These steel-cut oats are the ultimate version of a classic bowl of oatmeal, creamy, comforting, and high in protein

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

  • To make these oats vegan, substitute the egg whites for your favorite plant-based protein powder.
  • You can make the caramelized banana with or without the coconut sugar, but it's important to use a ripe banana if you choose not to add any sugar.
  • The ripeness of your bananas will also determine how sweet the oats turn out, if needed, add in honey or maple syrup at the end to sweeten them to your liking.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

493.78

Fat

20.16

Sat. Fat

4.83

Carbs

62.32

Fiber

9.12

Net carbs

53.22

Sugar

21.13

Protein

20.59

Sodium

117.72

Cholesterol

178.32
Banana-Nut, steel-cut oats, oatmeal, porridge, cozy
breakfast
American
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Dalia D. Dalia D.

Tiramisu Overnight Oats

This decadent breakfast option tastes just like the well-loved Italian dessert, while being refined sugar-free and balanced. Who wouldn’t love an easy delicious dessert for breakfast?

White bowl containing tiramisu overnight oats with a spoon on top of a wooden chopping board

This one needs no introduction. Who doesn’t love the classic flavors of coffee and mascarpone in a delicious Italian tiramisu? Plus, why turn down the opportunity to caffeinate on-the-go. Your balanced breakfast, your shot of espresso, and your dessert all in one jar!

I’ve been seeing a lot of tiramisu overnight oat recipes on social media lately, and I figured surely everyone is onto something great here. Tiramisu is probably my favorite dessert, but just in case I’m forgetting about something else, I’ll say it’s in my top 5. These oats replicate that decadence very, very well, especially if you opt for the mascarpone option. This tip isn’t in the recipe, it’s a body text exclusive: add some vanilla bean paste (or vanilla essence) and a dash of maple syrup to the mascarpone-yogurt combo.

These oats are naturally high in protein from the yogurt and cheese, but I always like to add protein powder to my overnight oats too. I like unflavored collagen protein, and that would be my recommendation for all of my recipes, to be completely honest. It’s currently not a very accessible option for vegans and vegetarians, so if you have a favorite vanilla protein powder, I would use that here and I would also probably skip the maple syrup.

A fully prepped and garnished bowl of tiramisu overnight oats dusted with cocoa powder

What I love about these oats is that the smell and the appearance get you really far before you’ve even tasted it. Every time I make this, I’m pretty convinced that I’ve made a tiramisu. Now, I won’t lie and say this will rival the best tiramisu you’ve ever had (although, depending on your personal taste you might prefer this one). The only thing that will taste 100% like an authentic tiramisu will be… well, an authentic tiramisu. This comes super close, though, for a bowl of oats, you will not be disappointed. Especially considering this is lower in sugar, and higher in fiber, but I’m not sure if it’s higher in protein on account of the egg yolks that normally go into a tiramisu.

A white bowl containing tiramisu overnight oats topped with mascarpone cheese and yogurt "cream"

If you follow my tip above for the yogurt-mascarpone cream, it will make it a little extra special and decadent. Use your favorite coffee and a good unsweetened cocoa powder and thank me later.

Tiramisu Overnight Oats

Tiramisu Overnight Oats

( 0 reviews )
Yield: 2
Author:
Prep time: 5 MinInactive time: 4 HourTotal time: 4 H & 5 M
This decadent jar of overnight oats tastes just like tiramisu, but being refined sugar-free, high in fiber, and high in protein, makes it a great breakfast option

Ingredients

Optional

Instructions

Notes

  • To make these vegan, use a plant-based yogurt and omit the mascarpone cheese.
  • If you don't have unsweetened cocoa powder on hand, shave some of your favorite dark chocolate on top instead.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

424.82

Fat

17.95

Sat. Fat

7.95

Carbs

53.35

Fiber

8.22

Net carbs

45.11

Sugar

19.64

Protein

13.41

Sodium

93.94

Cholesterol

33.54

Nutritional value for oats may vary greatly depending on choice of yogurt and milk. Value calculated with two tablespoons of maple syrup and without the addition of the protein powder, as values can vary greatly from powder to powder.

tiramisu, oats, overnight oats,
breakfast, dessert, snack
American, Italian
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Dalia D. Dalia D.

Matcha White Chocolate Baked Oats

Combine your morning caffeine with your breakfast for healthy, clean energy that keeps you calm and feeling good all through lunch—plus, why not wrap it all neatly in a dessert-like package? This recipe features lots of matcha. plus some matcha white chocolate for a refined sugar-free, gluten free, nutritious and make-ahead friendly breakfast option that is sure to brighten your morning

I don’t think, at this stage, it’s any surprise that I love matcha. It started when I was maybe 13, being tempted by the pretty, green frappuccino. That icy sugary concoction was the gateway to my obsession with throwing matcha powder into everything. I’m marrying, in this recipe, two of my matcha creations. Because, when it comes to matcha, more is more. I’m talking about a delicious matcha baked oats situation, with matcha chocolate drizzled on top. If you’re not there yet, though, don’t worry, just use regular white chocolate instead.

Let’s talk about the matcha white chocolate first: I first decided to make this for Valentine’s day. I played around with some vegan, refined-sugar free white chocolate, adding different quantities of matcha to it until I found the right taste. I used some of it to make chocolate-covered strawberries. The rest, I snacked on like it was my favorite candy bar. To be completely honest with you, it’s up there.

The matcha chocolate is very easy to make if you know how to melt chocolate, which you can do in a double boiler, or even easier, a microwave. I personally prefer the double boiler method, which I detail in this instagram post about the matcha chocolate-covered strawberries. Not that obsessed with matcha? No problem, this recipe will turn out delicious whether you go for the matcha chocolate or just your favorite white chocolate.

So, about the baked oats: When I first tried baked oats, I found them very dense and rich in most recipes. They’re very dessert-y in that way, so I think it’s important to cut through that richness with some fruit. I’m also a huge advocate for throwing in a serve or two of your five a day into your breakfast! Some of my favorite pairings with matcha are raspberries, coconut, and mango. If you lean into the flavor from the coconut oil, fresh mango and shaved coconut would be perfect toppings for this. Especially if you use a refined sugar-free white chocolate sweetened with coconut sugar, like I did for this recipe. The raspberry version and the tropical coconut-y version both present slightly different variations on this delicious breakfast option, that you can prep the night before.

Matcha White Chocolate Baked Oats

Matcha White Chocolate Baked Oats

( 0 reviews )
Yield: 2
Author:
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min
This decadent breakfast recipe brings the earthiness of matcha and all of its health benefits to cake-like baked oats

Ingredients

Optional

Instructions

For Matcha White Chocolate

Notes

  • To make this recipe vegan, replace the egg with one flax egg, which is one tablespoon flaxseed meal and three tablespoons of water, left to thicken for 15-30 minutes
  • You can also substitute the honey in this recipe for maple syrup
  • To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure you use gluten-free oats
  • You can replace the coconut oil with butter or avocado oil
  • To make greasing your pans and dishes easier, buy an oil spray—my favorite is a non-aerosol avocado oil
  • Almond extract is a touch controversial (at least among my friends) but adding the tiniest bit of almond extract to this (1/4 teaspoon) adds something a little extra
  • This makes two servings and can be reheated the next morning in the oven, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes
  • To make the matcha chocolate vegan, use vegan white chocolate

Nutrition Facts

Calories

365.6

Fat

13.8

Sat. Fat

8.03

Carbs

51.92

Fiber

6.08

Net carbs

45.83

Sugar

22.25

Protein

10.53

Sodium

183.55

Cholesterol

89.17

Nutritional information calculated excluding white chocolate which may vary greatly depending on type, quantity used, and individual ingredients.

Matcha, white chocolate, refined sugar-free, green tea, caffeine
dessert, breakfast
Japanese, American
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Dalia D. Dalia D.

Breakfast Burrito Bowl Steel-Cut Oats

These spicy, zesty oats borrow from classic Mexican flavors to make an unexpected breakfast option that is sure to brighten your Monday morning

A bowl of oats topped with a fried egg, tomato, onion, corn, pumpkin seeds, avocado, and hot sauce

As promised in my first 6 Weeks of Oats post, here is a savory oats recipe. Two things to address here: the savory component, and my choice of oats. If you’ve never tried savory oats before, trust me, it works! Like any other grain, oats are pretty neutral. A blank canvas. Like rice, you could dress them up with spicy and savory elements (like a delicious pilaf) or you could make them into a decadent dessert (like rice pudding).

A saucepan containing steel-cut oats, on a wooden chopping board, heirloom cherry tomatoes on the vine in the background

I don’t know about you, but one of the most annoying parts of having a traditional bowl of oatmeal for me is how warm, sweet, and thick it is. Those things aren’t bad by any means, but when combined together, for something as substantial as a meal, it becomes too rich for me. Using stock instead of milk helps to cut through the richness of oats. The zesty lime helps too.

Two bowls, the larger bowl holds a salsa of tomatoes, corn, cilantro, onion, and pepita seeds, the smaller bowl contains spices

Let’s address my choice of oats. I always have rolled oats and steel-cut oats in my pantry. Rolled oats are perfect for overnight oats or for blending into oat flour for your baking needs. I just can’t get behind the texture (or lack thereof) once you cook the oats. At the cost of adding just a few more minutes to your cook time, steel-cut oats give you a much nicer texture that never feels boring, but still provides you with that comforting richness.

A close-up image of fried eggs, avocado, and tomato salsa in a bowl
Two bowls, one containing tomato salsa while the smaller one contains mixed sazon or taco seasoning mix

Here’s my pitch: We love a good breakfast burrito. We love a good burrito bowl. Why not make a breakfast burrito bowl on oats, though, instead of rice? It’s yummy, it’s satiating, it’s highly nutritious, and it can be prepped in advance to cut down on time. Additionally, if you don’t already have all the spices needed (or if you can’t be bothered with mixing a bunch of spices in the morning), a sachet of store-bought taco seasoning mix will do the trick!

Breakfast Burrito Bowl Steel-Cut Oats

Breakfast Burrito Bowl Steel-Cut Oats

( 0 reviews )
Yield: 2
Author:
Prep time: 7 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 22 Min
These zesty savory oats have all the flavors of a delicious breakfast burrito in a fun and exciting new package

Ingredients

Oats
Toppings
Cherry Tomato Salsa

Instructions

Notes

  • Soak the onion or shallot slices in some cold water while you prep the rest of the ingredients to remove the bite and make them more breakfast-friendly.
  • To make this vegan, replace the eggs with a tofu scramble or add black beans to the salsa.
  • You can replace the stock in this recipe with a bouillon cube and some water.
  • To elevate this recipe, use fresh garlic (1-2 cloves depending on how garlicky you like it) instead of the garlic powder going into the oats. To avoid the extra bite that would come from this, cook the garlic with the rest of the oat components for 15 minutes, instead of adding it in at the end.
  • Toasting the spices prior to adding them into the oat mixture will really bring out the flavors. Something to consider if you have the extra time to spend on this.
  • Also for when you might have more time, charring the corn in the salsa makes a huge difference.
  • Alternatively, to save time and prep this ahead, you can prep the salsa and the oats in advance (the oats and salsa will both keep in the fridge for around 5 days), and reheat in the morning with a couple of tablespoons of water.
  • Hard-boiled eggs can be safely kept in the fridge for up to 7 days, to save even more time in the morning.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

350.07

Fat

17.23

Sat. Fat

3.23

Carbs

37.61

Fiber

7.94

Net carbs

32.83

Sugar

6.92

Protein

15.75

Sodium

261.63

Cholesterol

167.28
Oatmeal, Burrito Bowl, Salsa, Steel-Cut Oats
Breakfast
American, Mexican
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Dalia D. Dalia D.

Chocolate Hazelnut Overnight Oats

These decadent overnight oats are refined sugar-free and high in protein, for a perfect breakfast that’s quick, easy, and tastes just like dessert!

Bowl of overnight oats with sliced strawberries, hemp hearts, and a drizzle of chocolate

I’ve been pretty busy and stressed the last few weeks and I felt like having some meal-prepped food on hand because ordering in all the time is a) pretty expensive and b) doesn’t always provide the kind of nourishment I’m looking for. So I thought about the options I had and, honestly, I don’t love reheating food a lot of the time. Enter overnight oats. I’ve been seeing people hype these up since forever. I had actually never tried them before, though. I’ve had stovetop oats plenty of times, baked oats a handful of times, I’ve even made and had plenty of oat bakes.

Brown bowl with chocolate hazelnut overnight oats garnished with sliced strawberries, a drizzle of chocolate, and hemp seeds, three strawberries in the foreground

Thinking about the kind of flavors I would want from overnight oats, I thought about some of the more classic routes I could go. Like banana and peanut butter. Honestly, though, as much as I love that flavor combination, there’s something so fun about making your breakfast into something that could actually be dessert—while keeping it balanced enough to sustain you through your morning.

Jar of overnight oats overflowing with collagen protein powder and dutch processed cocoa powder

For this recipe, I took inspiration from the classic combination of chocolate and hazelnut. Think Nutella, Kinder Bueno, and Ferrero Rocher. I also think strawberries dipped into some melted chocolate hazelnut spread is chef’s kiss, so I love dressing these oats up with strawberries and an extra drizzle of this refined sugar-free chocolate hazelnut spread.

Chocolate Hazelnut Overnight Oats

Chocolate Hazelnut Overnight Oats

( 0 reviews )
Yield: 2
Author:
Prep time: 5 MinInactive time: 4 HourTotal time: 4 H & 5 M
This decadent jar of overnight oats tastes like dessert, but being refined sugar-free, high in fiber, and high in protein, makes it a great breakfast option

Ingredients

Optional

Instructions

Notes

  • To keep these oats refined sugar-free, use a high quality chocolate hazelnut spread that is refined sugar-free.
  • The amount of maple syrup you might want to add will depend on the sweetness of your chocolate hazelnut spread and your personal taste, my chocolate hazelnut spread is sweetened with coconut sugar, so I don't personally like to add any more sweetness to the oats.
  • You can substitute the chocolate hazelnut spread with hazelnut butter and an extra spoon of cocoa powder.
  • If you don't like chocolate hazelnut, you can make this into a chocolate peanut butter overnight oats by following the tip above and substituting the hazelnut butter with peanut butter.
  • The best option for a protein powder that is versatile, sugar-free, and minimally processed is a good collagen powder.
  • For vegans, there's vegan collagen powder derived from yeast but that's yet to become a commonly accessible ingredient, for the time being, for this recipe, I would use a high-quality, refined sugar-free chocolate plant protein powder.
  • To make this gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats (which are just non-contaminated), and check the label on your other ingredients to be sure they weren't produced with the potential for cross contamination.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

465.43

Fat

16.63

Sat. Fat

8.8

Carbs

68.53

Fiber

12.51

Net carbs

55.98

Sugar

29.11

Protein

13.78

Sodium

80.97

Cholesterol

14.64

Nutritional value for oats may vary greatly depending on choice of chocolate hazelnut spread and milk. Value calculated with two tablespoons of maple syrup and without the addition of the protein powder, as values can vary greatly from powder to powder.

Oats, Hazelnut, Chocolate, Nutella, Meal Prep
Breakfast
American
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Dalia D. Dalia D.

Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oats

These dairy-free, refined sugar-free baked oats have the classic flavors of a blueberry lemon poppy seed muffin, elevated by a lemon-vanilla yogurt and some stewed blueberries, making this a healthy, yet decadent, breakfast option that will make your whole house smell like lemons and vanilla…

I have some big-ish news! Starting this week, I will be posting a new oat recipe every Monday for six weeks. That’s six creative and delicious (not to mention very easy) oat recipes.

I’ve got recipes coming up for baked oats, overnight oats, and even savory oats, so there’s something for everyone—even if you don’t like oats. Take me, for example, I really didn’t get the hype around oats. The texture, flavor, and all-around rich and dense mouthfeel really didn’t appeal to me. That being said, the idea of oats always sounded really good to me, health-wise, and I do like the flavor of oats in the right context. So these are going to be, naturally, me-approved recipes, but that means a little bit more in this context: if you like oats, I’m sure you’ll love these recipes. If you don’t like oats, I know at least one of these recipes will work its way into your heart. Sincerely, a fellow not-huge-fan-of-oats.

So, about this recipe: if you’ve never tried baked oats, you’re missing out. It’s very close to having cake for breakfast. I’m not going to lie and say it’s exactly the same, but it’s its own cake-adjacent vibe, like banana bread or muffins. It is a vastly different experience to your classic oatmeal, though.

What makes this recipe better than most other baked oats recipes? The straightforward answer is the brightness and acidity of the lemon. One thing I don’t love about traditional oatmeal recipes is how dense and rich they are, I get tired of eating them very quickly. The brightness of the lemon in the baked oats and in the lemon vanilla yogurt, combined with the freshness of the stewed blueberries, just makes this recipe relatively light. Bonus points: your house will smell like a lemon loaf all morning.

This recipe is dairy-free and refined sugar-free, but it’s not vegan. I do have tips at the end to make this recipe vegan and gluten-free.

Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oats

Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oats

( 0 reviews )
Yield: 2
Author:
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
A healthy, yet decadent, breakfast option that will make your whole house smell like lemons and vanilla

Ingredients

Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oats
Stewed Blueberries
Lemon-Vanilla Yogurt

Instructions

Notes

  • To make this recipe vegan, replace the egg with one flax egg, which is one tablespoon flaxseed meal and three tablespoons of water, left to thicken for 15-30 minutes
  • You can also substitute the honey in this recipe for maple syrup
  • To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure you use gluten-free oats
  • If you’re not a fan of coconut, replace the coconut yogurt with greek yogurt or soy yogurt, and the coconut oil with butter or avocado oil
  • To make greasing your pans and dishes easier, buy an oil spray—my favorite is a non-aerosol avocado oil
  • For vanilla extract, for any recipe, use vanilla-bean paste, it’s a touch more expensive but it’s a very quick and easy way to make your desserts a little more refined and better tasting
  • Almond extract is a touch controversial (at least among my friends) but adding the tiniest bit of almond extract to this (1/4 teaspoon) adds something a little extra
  • This makes two servings and can be reheated the next morning in the oven, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Calories

424.30

Fat

17.22

Sat. Fat

10.07

Carbs

63.50

Fiber

7.36

Net carbs

56.13

Sugar

29.39

Protein

12.54

Sodium

143.31

Cholesterol

97.88

Nutritional value for oats made on almond milk

Oats, Baked Oats, Lemon, Berries
Breakfast, Dessert
American
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