You can indulge in dessert for breakfast with these overnight oats, which just happen to be vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, added sugar-free! The secret to that beautiful vibrant color is not food coloring, but rather a simple red beet.  Red Velvet Overnight Oats are meant to be the easiest grab-an-go breakfast for busy people, but they could easily be enjoyed between 2 people at the end of a long day for dessert 😉

Serves: 1

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 4 hours or overnight

What (your ingredients):

1 medium beet, raw

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 heaping tablespoon cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)

1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut

2 dates, pits removed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup oats

1 tablespoon chia seeds

How (your directions):

Wash and peel the raw beet, then roughly cut into cubes.

To a high-speed blender, add the beet, almond milk, cacao powder, coconut, dates, and vanilla.

Blend on high for 30-60 seconds until smooth.

In a glass container, combine oats and chia seeds.  Pour the red velvet beet mixture over the oats and chia seeds and stir until well combined.

Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours to allow the oats to soften and the mixture to firm up into a pudding-like consistency.

Top with walnut pieces, more shredded coconut, or even cacao nibs for added crunch,

Enjoy your dessert for breakfast!

Why (the science):  Beets are high in nitric oxide, which helps optimize performance for athletes!  This recipe gets you one step closer to improving your exercise game with the assist from beets 😊