Chai Spiced Oatmeal with Cookie Butter

I’m feelin’ the blues tonight.  My favorite show, Desperate Housewives, ended tonight, forever.  I’ve been watching this show for 8 years so I feel a sense of loss if you will.

I mean let’s face it, aside from REALITY TV, there aren’t that many great shows on television these days.  Sex and the City is gone, Friends is gone, Everybody Loves Raymond is gone, even OPRAH is gone!  It SUCKS!!!
Desperate Housewives was the only show I was hanging on to and now even that’s gone.  So yes, I’m feeling the blues tonight. 
But I’m glad ABC is making it up to me by premiering a new season of The Bachelorette tomorrow night.  I CAN’T WAIT! 
So to help pacify myself today, I spiced things up a bit in my kitchen by making Chai Spiced Oatmeal, ya know, by using chai spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, and ginger. 
I then topped my oatmeal with some almonds, or cashews would taste amazing as well.
And then I sort of did a bad thing by adding Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter, I mean, it isn’t exactly healthy and I’m going through Desperate Housewives detox, hence I needed a little cheer me up. 
Seriously though, the flavors of the cookie butter echo the flavors of the oatmeal.  It’s truly a match made in heaven!

NUTRITION: Oats help reduce cholesterol and are a good source of protein and fiber.  Almonds help lower cholesterol and are an excellent source of Vitamin E.  Coconut Milk is vegan and the brand (So Delicious) I used contains no cholesterol and is a good source of Vitamins D & B12.


INGREDIENTS:

• Old-Fashioned Oats – 1/3 cup
• So Delicious’ Original Organic Coconut Milk – 1/2 cup
• Water – 1/2 cup
• Vanilla Extract – 1/2 tsp
• Cardamom – 2 green pods
• Clove – 1
• Ground Cinnamon – 1/4 tsp  (you can also use 1/2 a stick of cinnamon) 
• Fennel Seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Ginger Powder – just a pinch  (you can also use a small piece of fresh ginger)
• Almonds – 1 or 2 tbsp slivered
• Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter – 1 small scoop (use in moderation… not healthy)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Start by heating a small pot on low-medium heat.  Add oats, water, and coconut milk.  The Coconut Milk brand I used –So Delicious –  is rich and creamy with no cholesterol and only 80 calories per cup.
2. Add vanilla extract.  Stir.
3. While the oatmeal heats up, get your spices together.  You’ll need cardamom, clove, ground cinnamon, fennel seeds, and ginger powder.
4. Split the cardamom open and discard the green part.
5. Check on the oatmeal and add all your spices. 
6. Including the cinnamon and ginger powders.  Stir.
7. Once the oatmeal comes starts steaming, turn off the stove. 
8. Pour into a fancy bowl.
9. Top with almonds.
10. Top with cookie butter, or even almond butter would be delicious. 
11. Watch how the cookie butter slowly melts into the oatmeal.  SO GOOD!