Pistachio Pudding Oats

For me, winter means frosty cold weather and warm, comforting food.  This is especially true in the mornings, when the temperature dips the lowest. One of my favorite warm breakfasts are oats.  Because I enjoy eating large portions for low calories, I particularly like Cauliflower Oats, which make a whopping 4 cup serving for only about 250 calories. That leaves plenty of wiggle room for delectable toppings- I love to add peanut butter or berries to my oats!

You may be wondering why in the picture, my oats appear to be green.  It is not because there is zucchini added, though that would be a good guess, and is in fact because I used Pistachio Pudding mix to flavor it.  I prefer sugar free fat free pudding mix, which I find at my local grocery store, because of its lower carb and calorie content.  In addition to adding rich flavor to my sweets, the pudding mix also helps thicken the oats.  I prefer thick oats over thin oats, so the pudding mix is a perfect addition.  

I call this recipe a “Pudding Oats” recipe because of my inclusion of the pudding mix, and because of how thick the result turns out.  It is simply delectable.

Pistachio Pudding Oats Recipe:

• 180g (large handful) cauliflower florets
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 TB (8g or 1 serving) sugar free fat free pistachio pudding mix
• 2 large egg whites*
• 1/4 cup stevia in the raw (or sweetener of choice, to taste)
• 2 g (1/2 tsp) xanthan gum (for even more thickness- can be omitted)
• 30g (6 TB) quick cooking or rolled oats*

Instructions:

1. In a blender, add al of the ingredients except the oats, and blend until the egg whites are becoming frothy.
2. Pour the mixture into a medium microwave safe mixing bowl.  Add the oats and stir to evenly mix them into the cauliflower mixture.
3. Microwave it on 70% power for 8 minutes (or until desired consistency is reached).  Stop the cooking to stir at least 3 times during cooking to ensure that the egg whites don’t clump.  During cooking, it is okay if the mixture expands a lot.  When you stir, Stirring periodically allows the air that is trapped to escape and this will prevent too much expansion, which would result in a mess in the microwave.
4. When the cooking is complete, remove the oats from the microwave, stir, and let them sit and cool for at least 2 minutes.  They will continue to thicken as you do so.
5. Transfer to a bowl and add toppings of your choice.  Dig in and enjoy!

The nutrition for this recipe are: 260 calories 5F 38C (11 Fiber 4 Sugar) 16P

*Notes: 

• Feel free to use more egg whites for added protein!
• Use less oatmeal if you want to (or none at all if you use my Grain Free Cauliflower Oats Recipe)

Please feel free to comment if you have any questions or if you try the recipe.  Your thoughts are always welcome!

XOXO,

Anna