Avena Oat Smoothie

While I do love smoothies, I'm not in the habit of having one for breakfast or even for a snack.  But, I decided to try a new smoothie this week for the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge because it uses -- oddly enough -- my favorite ingredients.  Oats and cinnamon.



Have I told you how much I love oats?  And cinnamon?  Oh, and vanilla.

Yes.  I do.

I should go to therapy.  Really.

I have 30 (now 31) recipes on here that use oats.

And, I am almost to the point where I eat oats daily.

Maybe I'm a horse?  I hear they like oats too.

Anyway, with my love for oats, I decided I give Ingrid Hoffman's Old-Fashioned Avena Oatmeal Smoothie a try.

I have to admit -- it took me a long time to try this.  It could have gone either way... really tasty, or really awful.  My first thought was -- how can this be good?!  But, I read the comments people left on her recipe, and was inclined to try.

Old-Fashioned Avena Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie - From Ingrid Hoffman

1/2 C Old-Fashioned Oats
3 C milk
2 T brown sugar (or honey)
1-2 tsp. cinnamon (to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla

Begin the night before by cooking the oats and the milk in a saucepan for 10-15 minutes -- stir continuously.  The oatmeal will be really thick.




Remove from the burner and add the cinnamon and honey, to taste.



Allow the oatmeal mixture to cool for a bit.  Transfer to a container to refrigerate overnight.



Strain the liquid from the oatmeal.



Hmmmm....



How exactly does one do that?

Mine, certainly did not strain.

I ended up blending mine in a blender with a little more milk, and some vanilla.





Now, that looks more like it.



I tried drinking it cold... but no such luck.  Maybe with blueberries or raspberries it would be better cold.

I ended up warming it up, and it was okay.



It certainly did not ruin my love for oatmeal, but, this is one oatmeal dish I will pass on making again.

I did enjoy it really thick and warm on the first night -- like a cinnamon-y pudding.

And, I used the leftovers in my favorite oatmeal waffles... so all was not lost.

Have you ever heard of such a smoothie before?

Smoothies

Last night, the girls from my life group came over and we had a girls smoothie night.  The smoothies were delicious, the conversation excellent, and the movie funny!  Oh, we also had some other "girly" treats ... M&Ms, cream puffs and popcorn!!


Thus, in honor of smoothie night (which, might have to become a regular thing....), I have a few smoothie recipes to share with you!

Pineapple Smoothie
~4oz of pineapple, with juice
3-6 ice cubes
1/ C milk
a heaping spoon full of cool whip

Combine in a blender, and enjoy!


Dairy Fruit Smoothies
1/2 C milk
4oz plain yogurt
1 C fruit

Blend and enjoy!


Lemonade Smoothie
1 C lemonade
1 C ice
1 C berries (strawberries, raspberries)

Mix together the ice and lemonade in a blender.  Then add in the berries! 

Serve in a tall glass. 


Fruit Juice Smoothie
1 C fruit juice of your choice
1 medium banana, sliced and frozen
5ish ice cubes
handful of frozen berries (whatever goes well with the juice)

Add to a blender and mix away!


Cherry Smoothie
1 C cherries (frozen is fine)
1/2 C ice
1/2 C yogurt
1/4 C honey (or >1/8 C sugar)


Combine all and blend until smooth.


Orange Julius
6oz OJ concentrate
1 C water
1 C milk
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
10 ice cubes

Mix well until smooth.


Basically, when making smoothies, it all comes down to the ratio of fruits, thickeners, and liquids + a little flavor kick!

A good rule of thumb is...

1 part fruit
2 parts thickener (e.g., yogurt, frozen juice, frozen fruits -- like bananas, ice)
2 part liquid (e.g., milk, juice, water)
+
flavor (try cinnamon, vanilla or a sweetener, like honey)

These are a great way to Fight the Heat... we enjoyed cooling off from 90+ degrees!