Hello you lovely people! Here you’ll find another recipe twist for your morning oats (or zoats, if you’re a courgette addict like myself!) – I’m sharing my two favourite variations of overnight zoats, using cacao powder for a chocolate-y vibe, or a turmeric twist for a morning immunity boost! In this post I’m also sharing my secret tip for the best version of overnight zoats you’ll ever make – it’s all in the morning re-heating people! You’ll see what I mean in the method below, trust me.
If you want to, check my recent recipe post for ‘Immune-Boosting Cacao & Chia Overnight Oats’ for the basics on why the fitness/foodie world has gone mad for turmeric recently – there actually isn’t really much in the way of an evidence-base for the much touted health benefits of turmeric, in terms of actual human studies. Saying that, I absolutely love adding a sprinkle of turmeric and ginger to my daily oats, and they’re two of my favourite spices to use in cooking. I’m a firm believer in the power of food as medicine, but I also always want to know the real science and truth behind a lot of the BS that gets floated around social media. Check out this link for a really good insight into some of the claims on turmeric – I found it really helpful, hopefully you will too – https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/turmeric-tasty-in-curry-questionable-as-medicine/.
So! Nerdy rant over. Let’s get to the recipe!
Recipe – Two Ways
The Cacao Way
Ingredients
- 1/3 courgette, grated
- 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp whole chia seeds
- 50g porridge oats (I use Flahavan’s Progress Oatlets)
- 180ml milk of your choice or water
- Toppings/Essentials: Berries, 1 tbsp nut butter
The Turmeric Way
Ingredients
- 1/3 courgette, grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp whole chia seeds
- 50g porridge oats (I use Flahavan’s Progress Oatlets)
- 180ml milk of your choice or water
- Toppings/Essentials: Berries, 1 tbsp nut butter
Method – For Both Ways!
- This is reaaaally simple – place your grated courgette, oats, chia seeds and spices (either cacao powder & cinnamon or ground turmeric & ginger) into a tupperware box.
- Mix it all together with a spoon so the chia seeds and oats are coated in the spices.
- Add your milk/water and stir until the dry ingredients are fully soaked in the liquid. If you feel it’s still a little dry, add a dash more.
- Seal the jar or lunchbox and place in the fridge to chill and soak overnight.
- Now for my secret tip for the creamiest overnight zoats! The KEY is to first, re-heat your soaked chia zoats the next day, for 2 minutes in a microwave on full power.
- Then, add your toppings and place the chia zoats back into the microwave for another 1 minute 30 seconds. This is the timing that works for my microwave – you want the chia zoats to rise while cooking and soak up the liquid until just a tiny bit is left!
- The toppings I’ve included above are fresh berries and nut butter (my favourites) – other great options are sliced banana coins, mixed nuts and/or chocolate chips if you’re feeling decadent! The key bit about heating WITH the toppings is that the nut butter and berries melt into the zoats – it is FAB. Trust me. Try it once and you’ll never look back!
Enjoy guys! I am a self-confessed zoats addict, so feel free to try this recipe without the courgette if you prefer! It’s a great make-ahead breakfast either way, especially if you have a microwave in work! Tag me if you try these zoats out – @theirishbalance on Instagram!
Ciara 🙂 x
