Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Halloween is over, and for the second year in a row I have not let my jack-o-lanterns go to waste. After chopping out their faces, morbid I know ;), I baked them, scooped out their flesh and bagged ’em up to be preserved in the freezer. Of course, I kept some in the refrigerator for me to use NOW and I’ve been puttin’ it in everything!

I have a whole lot of love for oatmeal, I mean, you couldn’t tell by all of the recipes I have for it, could you? It’s the perfect breakfast, in my mind, and so easily customizable. The fresh-baked pumpkin meat is amazing in this, you could use canned pumpkin if that’s all you have on hand, but if you haven’t baked up a pumpkin before I strongly recommend that you do so.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
• 1/2 Cup Cooked Pumpkin, chopped or pulled apart
• 1 tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Spice
• 1/2 tsp. Earth Balance
• A pinch of Salt
• 3/4 Cup Water or Non-Dairy Milk

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a small pot over medium heat and stir together until evenly combined. Simmer until it’s the thickness you desire, I usually end up cooking it for around 5-7 minutes. Top with a little drizzle of maple syrup and a pinch of pumpkin spice and you have the perfect, fall breakfast!

One thing that I absolutely love about most vegan food, including this breakfast, is that it feels like indulging but without all of the guilt! Take one look at this oatmeal and you think that you could definitely bake it up and have it for dessert. But, with half of it made up of pumpkin, you have a low-calorie and filling dish that’s packed with Beta-Carotene, Fiber, Potassium and Zinc (which is a great mineral to feed your immune system with during cold/flu season!).

Also, I am participating in this month’s bloghop! It’s all about #squashlove and sharing many delicious recipes amongst the blogging community! Check it out and add your recipe to the bloghop, plus the widget.