Hey guys! It’s Summer in Vancouver which means fresh Summer fruits. It’s Blueberry season and so expect more blueberry recipe your way. This months Oatmeal flavor of the month is all about blueberry, how about a bowl of Blueberry Banana Oatmeal?  Fresh sweet blueberry in season, only the best for breakfast. I’m not saying you cannot use frozen blueberry, if that’s what you have were you are then go ahead and used frozen blueberry. It might ale few more minutes making the blueberry sauce but it not that much.

Flavor of the Month: Blueberry Banana Oatmeal

Our Oatmeal flavor of the month is Blueberry Banana Oatmeal. This variation uses the base oatmeal recipe that I have, with minor changes to it. In most of my oatmeal variation, I used brown sugar to add sweetness to the oatmeal. In this variation, I had the brown sugar reduced to 1 tbsp and added mashed banana for natural sweetness and to make the oatmeal creamier. The topping is a fresh homemade blueberry sauce that do not have sugar in it. Instead it uses minimal amount of honey to sweeten the sauce and just water to add more juice to the sauce. It’s a nice variation and great way to use fresh or frozen blueberry.

Types of Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats (Irish Oats) – This type of oats has a finer texture but is chewier than traditional oats, they are digested more slowly and it makes you feel full easily. This type is perfect for breakfast cereals as they make you feel full longer.

Rolled Oats (Old Fashioned) – This type of oats are flat, thin and have bigger pieces than Steel Cut Oats. It cooks faster, about 10 minutes for 1/3 cup (depending on how chewy you like it). Although filling, it is not as filling as using Steel Cut Oats, but if your recipe requires minimal cooking time or you do not have much time on hand, this is the perfect type of oats to use. I find that this type is also the one perfect for baking cookies, bars, bread or pancakes.

Quick Oats – This type of oats have flat, light and even thinner pieces as compared to Rolled Oats. This cooks in about 1-2 minutes and are perfect for recipes that calls for a very minimal cooking time. Although it is also a good option for breakfast, it is not as filling as using Steel Cut Oats and Rolled Oats.

Instant Oats – This type of oatmeal has been pre-cooked and dried, because of this, it require no cooking time at all. You just need to add boiling water and let sit for few minutes to soften. This type of oatmeal doesn’t have chewiness and texture and can get mushy at times. This if perfect option when you are traveling and you need something on the go. Simply add hot water and you have an instant breakfast with you.

Can I make oatmeal without the mashed banana?

Yes, of course. If you do not have banana on hand, you can just add 1 tbsp more of brown sugar to sweeten the oatmeal. It wouldn’t have much effect on the taste, you will still get the same delicious oatmeal.

Can I used blueberry jam instead of blueberry sauce?

You can if you don’t mind a thick sweet sauce, but Blueberry Sauce is the best one to use as it is not as thick as jam, it has more liquid and it is not too sweet too. So I would say if you have the blueberry anyway, just make the blueberry sauce, it is not that difficult anyway. That is the best way to get the net result in this oatmeal.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Rolled Oats
• 1 3/4 cup Milk (Can be substituted with a mix of water and milk in any proportion)
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar (can be substituted with other sweetener of your choice)
• 3 tbsp Raisins
• 1 tsp Chia Seed
• 1/2 Small Banana (mashed)
• 1/2 cup Blueberry
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 tbsp Water

For a large batch of Blueberry Sauce, get the RECIPE HERE

Instructions:

1. Make the Blueberry Sauce: In the pan, transfer blueberry, honey and water. Cook for 5 – 7 minutes of until the blueberry starts to burst and juice comes out. For a large batch of Blueberry Sauce, get the RECIPE HERE
2. Make the Base Oatmeal: Pour milk in a pan. Add rolled oats and simmer in medium heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure to stir from time to time to avoid sticking at the bottom and from forming a “film”  or “skin” on top. Add brown sugar, raisins and chia seed. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. You can serve it at this stage but if you want a smoother creamier consistency, cover and cook in low heat for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust sweetness as desired. The consistency of the oats will thicken as it cools, if you are serving it immediately, you can cook it a little bit longer to get a thick consistency. Cooking time is flexible, cook less or more time to adjust to the texture and consistency that you prefer. Add mashed banana and stir to distribute.
3. Serve: Transfer oatmeal in a bowl and top with Blueberry Sauce, sliced banana, and other desired toppings.

Re-heating

One tip when reheating it, add few spoonful of water or milk to thin out the consistency. The oatmeal with or  without chia seed will thicken as it cools, even more when refrigerated. So to bring it back to nice consistency, you need to add a little bit of liquid. For single serving, add 1-2 tbsp of liquid and stir then simply pop it in the microwave for 1 minute. take it out and stir again, adding more liquid as  necessary to achieve the consistency that you like. Easy breezy! Enjoy

Recipe Notes

I am using quite a lot of liquid here because I like my Oatmeal consistency to be not too thick and also because I like to cook it longer than 15 minutes for a smoother creamier texture. Also, chia seed absorbs liquid and makes a jelly like consistency. If you like a thick oatmeal, use 1 1/4 cup of liquid but bear in mind that the oatmeal thickens as it cools. If you are making it ahead of time (overnight), I suggest use 1 3/4 cups of liquid so that it wouldn’t be too thick the following day.

Featured Posts:

• Single Serving Coconut Mango Oatmeal
• Single Serving Hot Chocolate Oatmeal
• Single Serving Banana & Chia Seed Oatmeal
• Single Serving Caramelized Banana Oatmeal
• Single Serving Pear Almond Crumble Oatmeal
• Single Serving Strawberry Crisp Oatmeal
• Single Serving Blueberry Banana Oatmeal

My Latest Video

What’s New

This time around I am sharing with you the recent recipe that I updated, Strawberry Shortbread Cheese Tart. This is one of the first few recipes that I posted when I was just starting on my blog. Of course that time, I thought  the photos were amazing, but as I look back at it now, I have to say not really. I photo certainly do not gives justice to this recipe. So I thought a make over was needed, and what better timing than during the Summer season when fresh Strawberry are its best. This base of this tart used my Shortbread tart dough and the filling uses my homemade Strawberry Jam. It is super delicious, the sweet and tangy taste of cream cheese, plus the butter crust and homemade Strawberry jam is such a wonderful combination. Check it out. GET THE FULL RECIPE.

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