🍎 A warm, fiber-rich breakfast in about 10 minutes, made right in the bowl you eat from. Oats, a chopped apple, and cinnamon, with walnuts on top. Good for busy mornings or a make-ahead overnight bowl.

🎥 Watch the original VA recipe

🟡 This video demonstrates the original VA recipe. Follow the Kitchen Monk ingredients and instructions below for our plant-based, SOS-free adaptation. What’s different: water instead of 1% milk, no pinch of salt, and an optional chopped date instead of maple syrup or honey.

🌱 Kitchen Monk SOS-Free Adaptation — Not Yet Kitchen-Tested

🍽️ Makes: 1 bowl (VA’s stated yield; our version hasn’t been measured). ⏱️ About 5 minutes to prep, 3 to 5 minutes in the microwave.

🧺 Ingredients

• 1 small apple (such as Gala or Fuji), cored and finely chopped, skin on (about ¾ cup, 94 g)
• ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (40 g)
• 1 cup water
• ¼ to ½ tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped unsalted walnuts (about 7 g)
• Optional: 1 Medjool date, pitted and chopped (about 24 g)

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🥣 Use a large microwave-safe bowl (at least 4 cups) so the oats don’t bubble over.
2. 🍎 Add the chopped apple, oats, water, and cinnamon. Stir.
3. ⏲️ Microwave on high for 3 to 5 minutes, stopping once or twice to stir, until thick and bubbly. Microwaves vary, so start checking at 3 minutes.
4. 🌰 Let it stand 1 minute (it’s very hot), then top with the walnuts and the chopped date, if using.

🌙 Overnight option: stir the apple, oats, water, and cinnamon together in a lidded container and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours. In the morning, eat it cold or microwave about 1 minute. Add the walnuts and date just before eating so they stay crunchy and fresh.

🔄 What we changed, and why

• Water instead of ½ cup 1% milk. Keeps it fully plant-based. Variation: use ½ cup water plus ½ cup unsweetened plant milk; choose one with no added salt or sugar, and note that this changes the nutrition below.
• No pinch of salt. Cinnamon and apple carry the flavor.
• A date instead of maple syrup or honey. VA lists the sweetener as optional: 1 to 3 teaspoons in the written recipe and 1 to 2 teaspoons in the video description. We use an optional whole date instead.

🎉 Nutrition estimate (1 bowl)

🌾 About 7 g of fiber in one bowl (about 8 g with the date). 💪 About 7 g of plant protein.
Without the date: Calories about 246 · Protein 6.6 g · Fat 7.4 g (from oats and walnuts; none added) · Carbohydrate 41 g · Fiber 6.8 g · Sodium about 3 mg
With the date: Calories about 313 · Protein 7.0 g · Fat 7.4 g · Carbohydrate 59 g · Fiber 8.4 g

🧮 How we calculated this: USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g × the weights above. Rolled oats, dry, 40 g (FDC 173904: 379 kcal, 13.2 g protein, 6.5 g fat, 67.7 g carbohydrate, 10.1 g fiber). Raw apple with skin, 94 g (FDC 171688: 52 kcal, 0.3 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 13.8 g carbohydrate, 2.4 g fiber). English walnuts, 7 g (FDC 170187: 654 kcal, 15.2 g protein, 65.2 g fat, 13.7 g carbohydrate, 6.7 g fiber). Optional Medjool date, 24 g (FDC 168191: 277 kcal, 1.8 g protein, 0.2 g fat, 75.0 g carbohydrate, 6.7 g fiber). Water and cinnamon are not included. Fiber calories are not subtracted. These are estimates, not lab results.

🏷️ Ingredients and allergen notes

⚠️ Contains tree nuts (walnuts). Skip them or use pumpkin seeds if needed. Oats are often processed alongside wheat; choose certified gluten-free oats if you need them. Entirely plant-based with no added oil, salt, or sweeteners; the fat and the tiny amount of sodium come naturally from the foods.

🫙 Storing

Best eaten fresh. The overnight version keeps in the fridge in a covered container; VA’s notes suggest 8 to 12 hours of soaking. Keep the walnuts separate until serving.

📄 Source: “Apple-Cinnamon Microwave Oatmeal,” VA Nutrition and Food Services Healthy Teaching Kitchen recipe library, free at nutrition.va.gov; video by VA’s Healthy Teaching Kitchen, also featured in My HealtheVet’s “Recipes from VA to fuel your day.” This is a separate VA recipe, not one of the 60 in Practical Plant-Based Cooking. The adaptation and its wording are Kitchen Monk’s. VA has not reviewed, approved, or endorsed Kitchen Monk or these changes. Education, not personal medical advice. Corrections: rfjeep@gmail.com