Carrot Cake Oatmeal With Cream Cheese Frosting - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup carrot, grated
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup skim milk (or your favorite milk substitute)
1/2 cup water
1 pinch salt
1/2 medium banana, sliced into thin pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Best. Vanilla. Ever.)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract (Best. Vanilla. Ever.)
1 teaspoon stevia
1/8 teaspoon stevia
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon wheat germ
2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
1 tablespoon mascarpone (you could use fat free or low-fat) or 1 tablespoon cream cheese (you could use fat free or low-fat)
1/4 ounce walnut pieces, toasted

Preparation

In a medium size pan, heat the grated carrot, oats, milk, water, and salt over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to simmer, approximately 5-6 minutes, stir in the sliced banana. Continue to stir, almost whipping, until the banana breaks down and the mixture thickens and becomes creamy, about another 5-6 minutes. The fresh carrot gives off quite a bit of water, so this recipe takes a little longer to thicken up. As I have mentioned in many of my oatmeal recipes, I really like utilizing the banana because it adds so much volume to the oats.
In a separate small-size bowl, add the greek yogurt, 1/8 tsp of stevia, and 1/8 tsp vanilla and whip together using a hand mixer on medium-low speed. Set aside.
Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract, wheat germ, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and stevia, to the oatmeal and stir until incorporated. Pour into a serving bowl and top with the cream cheese mixture and the walnuts.