Cocoa Oatmeal with Dates

Jenny Sanders's Note:

Now that the word is out that chocolate is good for you (BUT only if not mixed with milk) why not have it for breakfast? This makes a nice change of pace from plain oatmeal. Karl did not think this was sweet enough, but when he sprinkled a little brown sugar over he was happy. Serve with ricemilk or soymilk to get the full advantage of those cocoa flavinoids.

• Total Time: 11 mins
• Prep Time: 1 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 10 -12 dates , finely chopped
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 cups water

Directions:

1. Finely chop the dates.
2. Mix them with the oats, the cocoa and the salt in a 1.2 l microwaveble bowl.
3. Stir in the water.
4. Microwave on medium heat, 3 or 4 minutes at a time, stirring between each time.
5. Towards the end of cooking, cook for only a minute or two at a time.
6. When all the water has been absorbed and the oatmeal has a good consistency, it is done.
7. Serve with soymilk or ricemilk, and a little brown sugar if desired.

Reviews

[Charishma_Ramchandani]

I had this for breakfast this morning minus the dates(that would make it really heavy and too much to have in the morning for me). I did not have cocoa powder on hand, so I used Nestle's Nesquik's chocolate powder as a substitute which worked very well. I did not use any brown sugar either at the end as it was sweet enough for me. Served hot this is DELICIOUS! I am so thrilled to have this recipe. Thank you for sharing!

[ladypit]

I love this concept, though I modified it heavily. I used dried apricots (that I chopped and dredged in cocoa powder), added some splenda, and used fast cooking oats (not instant). I also sprinkled some extra splenda on top. It was chocolatey and filling. Nice for a cold winter morning. Thanks!

[haven't the slightest]

I often have oatmeal or oat bran with cocoa, but have not tried adding dates. Wonderful morning pick me up