Thanks to a comment left on my Lemon Delicious Oatmeal recipe by Annie, I've had sticky date oats on my mind. I've always been a huge fan of traditional sticky date pudding, drenched in caramel sauce and served with ice-cream, so I've been looking to give it a healthy, vegan makeover for a while. And whilst this isn't exactly a dessert, it still has the essence of traditional sticky date pudding - gooey dates, subtle hints of spice, and a two-ingredient sweet caramel sauce.
This recipe has been adapted from my Basic Oatmeal Recipe using the microwave method, but can easily be done with the stovetop method as well.
STICKY DATE OATMEAL WITH CARAMEL SAUCE
(Serves 1)
Oatmeal ingredients
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed or chia seeds (optional)
- 1 cup liquid: boiling water or non-dairy milk (I like to use rice, oat, coconut or soy milk)
- 5 chopped dates
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk
- Toppings: Strawberries, shredded coconut, caramel sauce and pecans - this is also delicious with apples or bananas!
Caramel sauce ingredients
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup, water or raw honey
Method
- Mix the oats, flaxseed/chia, spices and dates in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Pour the boiling water or cold milk on top of the oats, add the vanilla extract and stir.
- Cover and microwave for 1:30, checking at 30 second intervals. Sometimes the oats get too fluffy and start to rise above the bowl, so make sure to give them a stir before putting them back in to avoid them overflowing. (If using milk, simply microwave for 4 minutes instead)
- Whilst this is cooking, make the two-ingredient caramel sauce by simply mixing the two ingredients together. Depending on how runny you want your sauce to be, you may need to add more water.
- Take oats out of the microwave, and stir through an extra 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk
- Top with toppings of your choice and drizzle with caramel sauce!
Thanks for the inspiration Annie!
If there are any other recipes you want me to try and recreate, leave a comment below!
Much love,
Lisa xxx