sweet

The new year is starting the day after tomorrow, which means that are are Honigbrot be coming a lot of healthy recipes up on the blog (plus a guide that will help you to stick to your New Years resolutions tomorrow)!! I bet a bunch of us wants to live a healthier life in 2020, so here is an amazing recipe to start off the new year.

Although the name doesn’t sound super healthy, it really is. Usually when we hear caramel, the first thing we think of is that sticky, rich super sweet paste that we can find in chocolate bars and ice cream. But caramel does not have to be made out of refined sugars, cream and butter. No, it also is the same when natural sugars in fruits are heated up, and caramelize, and turn sweet. This is how we are doing it in this recipe.

Yes, caramelizing sounds pretty fancy, but trust me, it is super easy. You can basically do this with any fruit of your desire, but it works better with some than it does with others. I would not recommend doing it with berries or mango, but it works great with anything thicker or more solid, like bananas, apples, pineapples or pears. To caramelize the fruit, you simply have to heat up some coconut oil (or any oil, but I like the light sweet taste of coconut) in a pan. Then you add some coconut sugar, or some brown sugar and let this combine well with the oil. If you want to make it even healthier, leave out the sugar, it also works without if the fruit is sweet enough, but I think it is better with. Once the sugar has kind of melted into the oil, you can place the fruit into it and let it fry for 1-2 minutes on each side. Depending on the fruit you are using, this will be quicker it slower. Bananas go real quick, apples for example need some more time.

But only the caramelized fruit would not be a balanced meal so we need some protein and carbs to do that. That’s why we are making some oatmeal! Oatmeal is super rich in protein, carbohydrates, and fiber plus it has a lot of vitamins. It really is a great and affordable food. Oatmeal for breakfast will fill you up a lot and keep you satisfied until lunch! 

To make a delicious oatmeal, you should know a few things. The first few times I made it, it turned out real boring, in my opinion but you can honestly take it next level by changing a few things. First, I would recommend using rolled oats. They are easy to cook and super nutritious. The second tip is to not only cook it with water. This makes it taste super boring. I always do one part water, and one part plant based milk. I love using oat milk for this because it has a slight sweet flavor, plus I get a local and organic one in Austria. Almond milk works great too, I just do not like to use it that much because it mostly comes from other continents. Next tip is to add some mashed fruit. This can be mashed banana or apple sauce. It helps to make it creamy and adds some sweetness! Next up: spices! You need to add some salt and a little bit of spice when cooking it! Last, for the cooking, is to add some yoghurt. Do not add it while cooking, but when it is done cooking, turn off the heat and stir it in, it makes it real creamy and super delish! 

Another really important aspect when making oatmeal are the toppings. This can change everything. Here we are doing caramelized bananas and hazelnuts which is bomb but there are so many more Options! You can top it with some n butter and stewed berries, fresh fruit, granola, the options are endless…

So now, I think I have said enough! I hope that you will live this recipe as much as I do and that it inspires you to start 2020 super healthy and delicious! Have a great start into the new year! 

Enjoy,

Katie