If You Like Pina Colada and Gettin' Caught in the Rain

I have to admit, I have a total weakness for pina coladas. Yes, I know they are sickeningly sweet. But the combination of coconut and pineapple along with the cool, creamy sweetness of the concoction just gets me every time. But it probably goes without saying here on HGK that drinking a pina colada is like a once-in-a-decade event for me. It helps that I live in Cleveland and not Saint Something or others.


I spent much of my weekend experimenting with NuNaturals Stevia products. I had some real highs and some real lows. If replacing the sugar with stevia in a recipe was easy, everyone would be doing it by now, right? Well, it's not that simple. I'm learning as I go.


I'll share my successes with you. My failures? I'm sharing them with the garbage pail.


I've been making batches of oatmeal, four servings at a time, and refrigerating single servings so that I have a healthy and convenient breakfast every day. Oatmeal is like a blank slate, and we can get really creative with the ingredients we add to it.


I began yesterday's batch with a pioneering spirit. Inspiration struck. I wondered what would happen if I included the flavors in a pina colada?

It was a risk. It could have been a bomb.

But it wasn't. It's phenomenal, one of the best original creations I have ever made.


Pina Colada Oatmeal
serves 4

Print me!

1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups water
2 cups alternative milk, I used unsweetened almond milk
2 small very ripe bananas (fresh or frozen), cut into 1/2" slices
1/4 cup partially defatted, unsweetened coconut (I get this at Whole Foods and my local Indian Market)
2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1 Tbsp coconut extract
optional: sweetener-8 drops NuNaturals Liquid Vanilla Stevia drops (or to taste) or 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Place all ingredients into a large pot (I use a stock pot to avoid the boiling over that always occurs with a sauce pan). Bring to a boil.

Lower to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.

Taste. You may not need any additional sweetener. Sweetened with liquid stevia (I used 8 drops) or maple syrup if desired.

Do you like pina coladas? Or do they totally turn you off?

4th of July Blogger Giveaway! and a Chocomole Recipe

I spent a fun night last night with a friend visiting from LA. She organized a girls' night dinner party hosted by her sister. I met a lot of very accomplished and interesting women I had never met before. Ironically, the dinner was almost vegan (there was a bit of feta cheese in a Greek salad and some butter in a tart, but that's about it) and this wasn't a group of Vegans. Isn't that weird? Good? Even great?

My contribution was something that I have been wanting to test out for a while now. A spicy, chocolaty, rich dessert concoction called Chocomole. I'm really not sure who can claim ownership of this concept, because I have seen it before in a variety of media. I even made a version of this last summer, but this way, with the addition of red chili pepper and cinnamon . . . now this is something to talk about!

Chocomole

Printable Recipe

2 large ripe avocados

12 Medjool dates, pits removed and soaked if necessary

8 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao

2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup non dairy milk

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.

Serve as a mousse or as a dipping sauce for fresh fruit.

And now for the giveaway!

Win a DVD copy of the brand spanking new documentary "Got the Facts on Milk" by Shira Lane. I just received two copies in the mail yesterday and I cannot wait to watch this film! But, I also couldn't wait to give one copy away . . . so here are the rules:

(1) leave a comment here about any Plant-strong plans you have for this 4th of July weekend.

(2) make sure to be an e-mail subscriber OR RSS feed subscriber OR Twitter follower of Healthy Girl's Kitchen.

(3) "Like" Healthy Girl's Kitchen on Facebook if you haven't already (although I suspect you have!)

I will pick one lucky recipient on July 4th at noon (EST). Please leave one comment per participant. No need to answer all three questions in seperate comments. Thanks!

So, what are your Plant-strong plans this weekend?