Vegan Mommy Chef: Breakfast Banana Split with Chocolate and Caramel Oatmeal Pudding

I love fancy breakfast. My husband is always telling the kids that they are totally spoiled for getting pancakes, waffles and french toast almost every week. Of course I make breakfast for my kids because I love them, but my motives are also selfish, as I need something a bit more stunning than a bowl of cold cereal to transition me from grumpy woman wishing she were still in bed to mile-a-minute mom.

This particular breakfast indulgence came about as I sought for ways to use the leftover pulp from making oat milk for my homemade yogurt. I whipped up the thickest chocolate pudding the other day using the soaked oats, which of course tasted great with banana, which got me to thinking...Breakfast Banana Split!!!

The first step to making this dream a reality is to soak your oats overnight. Then your pudding will come together in about 15 minutes in the morning: a bit more work than a bowl of cereal, but well worth it. If you have extra time to devote to your toppings, this would taste great with my pumpkin caramel sauce on top. This recipe makes enough for 4 small (1/2 banana each) or 2 large (1 banana each) banana splits.

For the soaked oats:
2 cups rolled oats
filtered water to cover (I use about 4 cups.)

For the Chocolate Oatmeal Pudding:
1 cup soaked oatmeal (1/2 of the soaked oats)
2 Tbsp. cacao powder
3 prunes
2 medjool dates, pitted
1/2 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
2 scoops stevia powder (I use Trader Joe's Organic brand.)
1 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter
1/3 cup black beans

For the Caramel Oatmeal Pudding:
1 cup soaked oatmeal
1 Tbsp. tahini
1/3 cup pitted medjool dates (3-4)
1/2 Tbsp. coconut sugar
1/4 cup chickpeas
1 Tbsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
2 scoops stevia powder
2 Tbsp. white chia seed meal (optional, but will make it thicker. You could use flaxmeal if you don't have a flax allergy like we do.)

To assemble the banana splits:
2 medium, ripe bananas

Optional Toppings:
non-dairy yogurt (I use homemade.)
hemp seeds
mini chocolate chips
sliced strawberries
pumpkin caramel sauce

1. Place the oats and water in a large bowl, cover, and soak in the fridge overnight.
2. In the morning, you can either a) drain the oats in a colander and proceed to make the pudding or b) make oat milk with the soaking water by blending the oats and the water and then straining out the oat pulp using a mesh sieve.
3. Make the chocolate oatmeal pudding by blending all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor until smooth. Empty the chocolate pudding into a bowl, clean out the blender or work bowl, and then combine all of the ingredients for the caramel oatmeal pudding and blend until smooth.
4. Assemble the banana splits by cutting your bananas in half lengthwise. (For four small splits, cut the bananas in half widthwise as well.) Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to dish up a scoop of each pudding over the bananas. Garnish with desired toppings.

Here's the other big news around here beyond fancy breakfast:

Emie is Walking!